U.S. Senate: Russia's Activities to Influence Social Media Continue

A report prepared by private sector researchers, set to be released on Monday, December 17, by the Senate Intelligence Committee, states that Russia's 'active' interference aimed at influencing social media is still ongoing. The report indicates that these Russian actions, which were revealed after the 2016 presidential election, are much broader than previously thought. According to the Associated Press, this research was conducted by the cybersecurity firm 'New Knowledge' and is based on information that the Senate Intelligence Committee has from major digital communication companies including Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Beyond what the digital communication companies have stated so far, this research and the report that the Senate Intelligence Committee will publish is the first comprehensive analysis of Russian interference. The new research indicates that several accounts associated with the 'Internet Research Agency' in Russia are still active. According to the indictment by Robert Mueller, the special counsel of the Department of Justice regarding Russian interference, the 'Internet Research Agency' played a significant role in the propaganda campaign of Russian-affiliated actors to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Apparently, with the blocking of accounts associated with this entity on major social networks, they are now active on smaller platforms. Researchers at New Knowledge state in part of their report: 'Given that, in the absence of diplomatic responses or other countermeasures, the Russian government has achieved some of its objectives in this operation, it is likely that the U.S. will continue to face ongoing interference from Russia in the future.' The report states that none of the digital communication companies have provided all their information to Congress, and some of them have likely 'painted a different picture' in presenting their evidence, intentionally or unintentionally downplaying the extent of this problem. One important point in the report is that Russia's activity on Instagram has been extensive, and Facebook, the owner of this company, did not sufficiently mention it in its testimony to Congress. Researchers say that due to the focus on blocking Russian actors' activities on Facebook and Twitter in 2017, they transferred a large part of their activities to Instagram. The report concludes: 'Our assessment is that Instagram is likely to remain the main battleground in this regard.' The report adds that the extent of Russia's activities on social media is much broader than the information that digital communication companies have provided and includes many smaller social networks. For example, Russian actors even used the digital game 'Pokémon Go,' which peaked in popularity in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election, for their purposes. Russian actors have also used unconventional methods to communicate with American audiences, such as selling goods with special political messages, job offers, and even aid communication lines, which encourage individuals to unwittingly disclose sensitive information that could be used against them. According to the Associated Press report, Google has found evidence of 'Russian actors' advertisements related to the U.S. elections, and senators have criticized Facebook, Twitter, and Google for the actions of 'Moscow's agents.'