Facebook to hand over Russia ads on 2016 election to US Congress

Facebook will provide the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a Russian agency to congressional investigators, bowing to pressure that it be more forthcoming with information that could shed light on possible interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The social media giant also said it will make political advertising on its platform more “transparent.” It will require ads to disclose who paid for them and what other ads they are running at the same time. That’s key, because political ads on social media may look different depending on who they’re targeted at, a tactic designed to improve their effectiveness.

The moves on Thursday come amid growing pressure on the social network from members of Congress, who pushed Facebook to release the ads. Facebook has already handed over the ads to the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is “actively working” with the US government in its ongoing Russia investigations. Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post and live video on Thursday that he has directed his team to provide the ads, created by fake accounts linked to Russia, to Congress.

Facebook’s transparency measures are also important. Currently, there’s no way for outsiders to track political ads or for recipients to tell who is sponsoring such messages.