Facebook says Russian operation bought ads during US campaign, turns data over to special counsel Mueller

Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it had found that an operation likely based in Russia spent US$100,000 on thousands of US ads promoting divisive social and political messages in a two-year-period through May.

Facebook, the dominant social media network, said the operation bought 3,000 ads and 470 “inauthentic” accounts and pages spread polarising views on topics including immigration, race and gay rights.

Another US$50,000 was spent on 2,200 “potentially politically related” ads, likely by Russians, said Facebook, which turned over its findings to special counsel Robert Mueller.

US election law bars foreign nationals and foreign entities from spending money to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate. Non-US citizens may generally advertise on issues. Other ads, such as those that mention a candidate but do not call for the candidate’s election or defeat, fall into what lawyers have called a legal grey area.

Facebook announced the findings in a blog post by its chief security officer, Alex Stamos, and said that it was cooperating with federal inquiries into influence operations during the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook briefed members of both the Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees on Wednesday about the suspected Russia advertising, according to a congressional source familiar with the matter. Both committees are conducting probes into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election, including potential collusion between the campaign of President Donald Trump and Moscow.