Facebook and Twitter suspend accounts linked to Russian trolls accused of election interference
In recent years, foreign interference in U.S. elections has become more the norm than the exception. Concerns and efforts to block that interference for the upcoming 2020 presidential election have reached new highs, causing both Facebook and Twitter to suspend a Russian network, Internet trolls and multiple social media accounts accused of trying to create divisiveness among American voters.
Facebook said Tuesday that it removed a small network of accounts and pages linked to Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the “troll factory” that has used social media accounts to sow political discord in the U.S. since the 2016 presidential election. ~ ABC News
Twitter also suspended multiple Russian-linked accounts. UPI reported that the social media giants learned about the interference generated by a Russian troll factory thanks to a tip from the FBI, who said that they shared the info with Facebook and Twitter, “to better protect against threats to the nation’s security and our democratic processes.”
“While technology companies independently make decisions regarding the content of their platforms and the safety of their members, the FBI is actively engaged with our federal partners, election officials, and the private sector to mitigate foreign threats to our nation’s security and our elections,” according to the FBI.
The social media accounts removed were traced back to users tied to the Russian Internet Research Agency, the same trolling organization responsible for interfering with the 2016 presidential election and who concentrated their efforts to move the tide of that election in favor of Donald Trump.
The Russian troll group has upped their game in recent days, changed their tactics and even managed to recruit unwitting freelance journalists to write for them and share their slanted views.
CNN Business reported that this is the first publicly available evidence that people linked to the Russian trolls are using Americans who are not aware of what they’re doing to interfere in the 2020 election.
For more on the ongoing Russian interference in U.S. elections, see the video accompanying this article.
~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
