Facebook to Turn Over Russian-Linked Ads to Congress
Mr. Warner and Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, circulated a letter inviting colleagues to co-sponsor a bill
that would require greater transparency for online political ads, according to a copy of the letter seen by .
This week, Congressional Democrats asked the Federal Election Commission to advise on ways to prevent illicit
foreign influence on American elections via social media, including possible new laws or regulations.
Though most public attention has been focused on whether the Trump campaign helped with the Russian hacking, leaking
and other intrusions, the special counsel’s assignment is “a full and thorough investigation of the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election
The illicit Russian exploitation of social media fits squarely into Mr. Mueller’s wide-ranging investigation,
and the companies said they have fully cooperated with his requests for detailed data.
The company faced calls for greater transparency about 470 Russia-linked accounts — in which fictional people posed
as American activists — which were taken down after they had promoted inflammatory messages on divisive issues.
Mr. Warner said he believed the 3,000 ads, which the committees had not yet received, should be made
public with protections for the privacy of any innocent people whose names may be in the material.
“We are looking into foreign actors, including additional Russian groups and other former Soviet states,” he said.
The disclosure of the ads also raised the possibility of future regulation of political advertising on social media platforms.