Microsoft is investigating possible attempts by Russia to use the company for political advertising
Uncategorized October 10, 2017
The largest company producing the software Microsoft is investigating possible purchase of Russian advertising to influence American elections through its placement in Bing search or on other platforms of the Corporation. On the eve according to the sources revealed that a similar investigation has been started in Google, with the result that it was discovered that the purchase of political advertising by the Russian side for tens of thousands of dollars.
On the search for an alleged Russian intervention a Microsoft representative told Reuters by email. “We take seriously the reports of abuse of our platform. Therefore, we are investigating, and if invalid activity is detected, we will take action to minimize such abuse in the future,” the company said.
Such an investigation already underway at Google, said on the eve of the newspaper the Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the investigation. According to them, the company has found that “Russian agents” have spent less than 100 thousand dollars on advertising designed to influence the U.S. presidential election of 2016, to its placement on multiple Google platforms, including YouTube, Google Search, e-mail service Gmail and the ad network DoubleClick.
In Google suggest that ads placed are not “trolls” as “Putin’s cook” Eugene Prigogine, which, as reported earlier media, purchased ads on Facebook in an attempt to sow divisions in American society and to influence policy in the United States.
On the same day, the Internet portal The Daily Beast said about blacks help Williams & Kalvin who has released on its YouTube channel, including the fall of 2016, videos with rude remarks about nominated for the U.S. presidency from the Democratic party, Hillary Clinton and praising compete with her at that time candidate-Republican, and current head of the United States Donald trump. As noted by the publication, according to the researchers social networking, Williams and Calvin Johnson are part of a wider Russian campaign to intervene in American politics.
In addition, sources of the edition reported that in August this year, the help page in Facebook has been removed because it was identified as Russian-backed propaganda account. He was then locked their Twitter microblog.
The heads of Facebook and Twitter on 1 November will testify before members of congressional investigation about alleged Russian intervention in elections in 2016. Google not announced whether the company such an invitation. At open hearings in Congress invited representatives from all three companies.
In early September, Facebook saidthat Russia accounts within two years of buying political advertising, including the front passed in the November 2016 presidential election in the United States. It was spent about 100 thousand dollars. After nearly a month in Facebook said that Russia attributed to ads with messages intended to create controversy in American society, saw in the United States 10 million people.
In mid-September a Facebook user passed the information to sell ads to spectacular USA Robert Mueller, who heads the investigation of possible relations between Moscow and members of the campaign staff of President Donald trump. Later, the U.S. Senate sent a request to Facebook to obtain additional information.