Facebook admits Russian ad campaign on divisive social and political issues
Facebook has coughed up it has detected Russian ads bought for around $100,000 on issues not directly naming parties or candidates and further $50,000 on directly political messages. They use the terms "information operations" and "US presidential election" in the press release. After sharing some more specifics the press release degenerates to rambling about "inauthentic accounts" and how Facebook will not allow accounts to repeatedly spread fake news via ads.
Submitter: I think Facebook is a dangerous corporation you should steer clear of. Don't give them your activity or your money. For the sake of democracy.
Russian Bots Bought Facebook Ads During the Election
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/technology/facebook-russian-political-ads.html
Providing new evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook disclosed on Wednesday that it had identified more than $100,000 worth of divisive ads on hot-button issues purchased by a shadowy Russian company linked to the Kremlin.
Most of the 3,000 ads did not refer to particular candidates but instead focused on divisive social issues such as race, gay rights, gun control and immigration, according to a post on Facebook by Alex Stamos, the company’s chief security officer. The ads, which ran between June 2015 and May 2017, were linked to some 470 fake accounts and pages the company said it had shut down.
Facebook officials said the fake accounts were created by a Russian company called the Internet Research Agency, which is known for using “troll” accounts to post on social media and comment on news websites.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @12:35PM
We got caught.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Scrutinizer on Saturday September 09 2017, @12:47PM (3 children)
That Russia sure has been busy!
First, Russia hacked the 2016 US elections. [bbc.com]
After that, Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee's computers. [washingtonpost.com]
After that, Russia hacks everyone with fake news. [theguardian.com]
But wait - Russia also hacked Trump [washingtonpost.com] and Russia hacked Clinton [wnd.com]!
Whew, that's a lot of Russian hacking. Who knows where Russia could strike next?
I wonder if there are hacks at the New York Times?
(Score: 5, Funny) by Thexalon on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:52PM
Anyone who has read the NYTimes regularly and paid attention knows that there are many many hacks at the NYTimes.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 11 2017, @06:09AM (1 child)
You don't think those incidents are related?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 15 2017, @03:31AM
I'm with Thexalon [soylentnews.org]; I think there are hacks at the New York Times.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @12:50PM
We should nuke the country that engages in social media manipulation. [theguardian.com]
(Score: 1, Troll) by Bot on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:04PM (2 children)
Ad for traditional marriage = fascist and divisive because people who don't even behave according to traditional values beat up gays or did at some point.
Ad for poly lesbo gay pedo animal unions = progressive, have it sponsored by the state and don't dare draw a pair of mustaches on the lesbian or it's jail time.
The problem is that the 300 or so years where progressivism ruled have shown little to no benefit compared to the previous ages, and I am being generous. But OK, good for you if you don't want us to work too much to bring about the robocalypse.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday September 10 2017, @08:51PM (1 child)
Wow, you managed to slippery-slope, strawman, non-sequitur, AND beg the question all in one post! I didn't know you ran on transistor-transistor IL-logic circuits :) Hold still, a judicious application of 20-lb rubber sledgehammer ought to fix you right up...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday September 11 2017, @11:33AM
Moderation +1
Offtopic=1, Flamebait=1, Troll=1, Insightful=1, Informative=1, Funny=1, Underrated=1, Total=7
You're just jealous.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:15PM (2 children)
Hard to believe. Must be some of that newfangled fake news stuff I keep hearing about.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 4, Insightful) by mcgrew on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:27PM (1 child)
Newfangled? The National Enquirer has been around since 1926, and there were others before it. Note, Trump is part owner of that rag.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Saturday September 09 2017, @06:43PM
Hey, if they're good enough for the MIB...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:36PM (3 children)
While I have no doubt that the FSB or GRU or whoever in Russia tried to conduct propaganda (and probably is right at this moment) I have a hard time believing that a 100K ad buy had a significant effect on the election results, the thing that interests me most about this story is that 70 million ad impressions only cost 100K.
Also I agree Facefuck should die it's a surveillance platform not a "social " site
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:16PM (1 child)
I wonder what the CIA pays for similar botvertising on VK and Yandex.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:23PM
I don't know but they probably get a discount on facefuck since they are one of the original funders
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @07:48PM
But how many of those 70 million impressions go to non-existing 18-24 year olds?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:37PM
So, Facefook aided and abetted the Russians who hacked America. Got it. So, now what is Facefook going to do? Oh - they're going to continue hacking America, and selling the data that they mine to the highest bidder. Got it.
Facefook is about as American as the KGB or the Stasi.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by looorg on Saturday September 09 2017, @01:56PM
So have they shown these ads that the Russian trolls bought yet or is it just that they paid for something that have conveniently been deleted already -- which Facebook probably never does. If the ran troll ads for almost two years they should have some left that they could show.
"issues such as race, gay rights, gun control and immigration"; that sounds more or less like the normal issues being talked about in US politics, at least from my outside perspective. All that is missing is the constant tax about military and taxation. If the ad-campaign running the ads for almost two years is it really current divisive issues or is it just a note on how these things never seem to change -- guns and gays are doomed to be constants in the US political debate forever?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:14PM (1 child)
Facebook is jewish. Jews are supposed to lie to all non-jews and to exploit them fully. It is a vile organization that takes ad-money from its victims and gives them bot-clicks. It does not even hide that fact. What they do try to hide is that they are jewish. Call them a jew and they will fight back.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 10 2017, @01:18AM
You know what Jews also do? Say "OW!" as they are hitting you.
Anyway, even an image of Zuckerburg's shit-eating grin makes me want to punch a hole in my monitor. If that fifth-columnist fucking hypocrite moron decides to run for president in 2020, then I will go right over to Facebook headquarters and tuck pig shit under his car door handles.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Saturday September 09 2017, @02:51PM (14 children)
The only reason this would matter is if all of these are true:
1. Large numbers of people actually saw the ads. Adblockers still exist, and while Facebook isn't completely immune to them they are affected.
2. Large numbers of people noticed the ads instead of unconsciously skipping them.
3. Large numbers of people believed what they read in the ads.
4. Large numbers of people decided who to vote for based on what they read in the ads.
The DNC has been pushing the Grand Russian Conspiracy explanation for why they lost to Donald Trump for 10 months now. This explanation has more in common with The Manchurian Candidate than it does with reality. The real reason DNC lost because they pulled out all the stops to nominate a bad and hated candidate with a clueless campaign organization.
As a simple example of this, a lot of Democrats were surprised that they lost in Michigan. But they shouldn't have been: Hillary Clinton's husband Bill signed NAFTA, a decision Hillary Clinton has never said she disagreed with then or now, which basically wrecked the cities of Detroit and Flint (the area with the heaviest support for Democrats). Hillary Clinton's pals on Wall Street cost hundreds of thousands of residents their homes that many had spent decades paying for. And as senator she voted to send young people including many from Michigan off to die in Iraq and Afghanistan for no good reason, and as Secretary of State also sent them off to die in Syria. Is it any surprise the people on the receiving end of all this weren't enthusiastic about voting for Hillary Clinton?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @03:12PM (3 children)
They are. Have you ever met people?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @06:35PM (2 children)
Wanna buy some tinfoil? That hat looks a little over-worn.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:43PM
You sell him the tin foil, I'll get the contract for the faraday cage around his home. Win-win!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:57PM
I don't know where to source tin foil any more. All I can find is aluminum. :\
(Score: 5, Insightful) by srobert on Saturday September 09 2017, @03:43PM (9 children)
You are correct. As a Sanders delegate at a caucus and at a county convention, I told Hillary's supporters that if she's nominated, I'll vote Green in November. They told me that they were confident that I'd change my mind when the time came. They were mistaken. Hillary didn't lose because of Russia or Comey. She lost because of people like me, who either voted 3rd party, voted Trump, or more likely just didn't vote. I'll take the blame gladly, and I'll be voting the same way in next year's midterms and 2020. The neoliberals controlling the DNC are desperate to cast the blame on Russia to distract from the drumbeat of those who are threatening to withhold their votes until the Democratic party returns to representing working class interests.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Saturday September 09 2017, @04:56PM (2 children)
It's actually more specific than that.
Most of the people who are pushing the Russiagate story were key players in the Clinton campaign. In many cases, they've worked their entire careers for either Bill or Hillary Clinton (remember, they've been big names in national politics for over 25 years, so that's not likely to be uncommon). If the Russiagate story is believed to be true, then they'll be able to continue their careers as political consultants for somebody. If the Russiagate story, the Comey story, and the Blame Bernie story aren't believed to be true, then they'll be unmasked to the rich donors propping them up as the incompetent sycophants that they actually are, and not be able to work again. This isn't about politics or policy, it's about a small group of people in and around New York City keeping their jobs.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by srobert on Saturday September 09 2017, @07:10PM (1 child)
Yes, and I suspect that the sycophants are more interested in being rewarded through their connections than they are in actually winning elections. Imagine that you have influence in a major political party and you or a family member is trying to get a six figure job in the corporate world. What positions will you be advocating? Even if those positions alienate the working class and cost your candidate the election, you are a now a "team player" in the eyes of the business community.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Thexalon on Saturday September 09 2017, @07:52PM
Bernie Sanders captured it perfectly: “They would rather go down with the Titanic so long as they have first-class seats.”
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @05:47PM
Same here. It helped that I didn't have high opinions on neither Trump nor Hillary, and in comparison I preferred Trump because he was not a professional politician. But I voted for Stein and feel I voted for the best remaining candidate. (Bernie, you shouldn't have given up the fight!)
Funny how the office of Secretary of State seems to be destroying political ambitions. Hillary and Powell both.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @06:44PM
I never once considered voting for Bernie, Stein, of least of all Shillary. I wrote in John Bachtell.
Advertising played no role in this choice, since advertising has naught to do with principle.
If you're going to vote progressive, vote Communist. You may not like what you're getting, but you will always get what you see.
Progressives will get nowhere till we stop drinking the neo-Liberal crony capitalist Kool-Aid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @07:02PM
But don't you see, the DNC knows better than you and since you didn't come around to their thinking, there must have been some third party machinations at work interfering with that process.
(Score: 2) by GlennC on Saturday September 09 2017, @08:04PM
I'm happy to share the blame with you, since I also voted Green. I know that I had stated earlier that I was leaning toward voting for Trump, but then I decided that if I was going to vote, I might as well vote for the candidate I thought would make the best President.
If I vote in 2020 (and that's a pretty big if right now), I'll most likely vote either Green or Libertarian.
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:46PM (1 child)
Your explanation is spot on.
When Obama was elected, Democrats turned out in record numbers to get the job done. It was predicted months ahead of the election (August? Sept?) that Democrats were NOT turning out, and that the R's were definitely coming to vote. I read the prediction, among other things, and agreed with it at the time.
Bottom line is, the voters couldn't believe in Hillary. They COULD believe in Sanders, but Sanders wasn't an option. The party betrayed the voters.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 12 2017, @07:17AM
Yeah Team Clinton like to go on about how Trump won because of racists, the electoral college etc.
But the facts are:
1) A BLACK guy won TWICE with practically the same system and he had plenty of mud slung at him.
2) Team Clinton WANTED Trump as the opposing candidate. They "elevated Trump" because they thought they could beat him.
They lost the election and are still pointing fingers at everyone except themselves. That they still refuse to admit it was mainly their fault is a bad sign.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 10 2017, @01:45AM (1 child)
Support for traditional family is now "divisive." BTW I too denounce the PC crowd, they can all go to Venezuela for all I care.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday September 10 2017, @08:55PM
Define "traditional family." And in which culture. I think you'll find even in the Anglosphere, the nuclear family of Mom, Dad, a son, a daughter, .4 of another kid, 2.2 cars, and a dog is a rather recent invention.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...