Congress urged Facebook, Twitter and Google information about Russian companies who buy advertising antifatigue
Uncategorized September 28, 2017
Washington suspected a Russian company in attempts to manipulate the U.S. energy market. The head of the Committee of the house of representatives on science, space and technology, Republican Lamar Smith, has asked social networks Facebook, Twitter and Google, the company that owns Google, the information about Russian persons who ordered the is against fracking and the extraction of hydrocarbons.
As stated in the letter, the text of which is published on the official website of the Committee, “the American people have a right to know whether the information they hear, see and read, on behalf of a foreign government.”
It is reported that the suspicions of Congress emerged after the user Facebook has confirmed that the Russia-related company ordered to social network advertising during the us presidential elections in 2016 for a total amount of 100 thousand dollars.
“Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, have the opportunity to be an effective propaganda tool to disseminate specific information to targeted audience on a geographic basis,” – said in a letter to Congressman Smith.
In his opinion, various social and political advertising messages distributed in social networks, can have a negative impact on individual areas of the energy sector of the United States. He explained that using these tools can influence the sector of fracking and production of hydrocarbons.
Previously, the U.S. has repeatedly expressed concern about “excessive dependence” of Europe on Russian gas. Alternatively, Washington is actively promoting its more expensive for Europeans, the projects deliveries of liquefied natural gas. Thus, the previous White house administration under the leadership of Barack Obama, in contrast to the current, advocated the gradual replacement of fossil fuels with new environmentally friendly sources, said RIA “Novosti”.
In early September, Facebook saidthat the accounts that are associated with Russia, within two years of buying political advertising, including the front passed in the November 2016 presidential election in the United States. According to the company, from June 2015 to may 2017 470 such accounts spent about 100 thousand dollars for three thousand advertising messages that could influence the outcome of the vote.
The American media have linked the custom advertising with the work “Troll factory”, curated by St. Petersburg businessman Evgeny Prigozhin, better known as “Putin’s personal chef”.
Facebook provided data to the office of spectracolor Robert Mueller. On September 21 the founder of social network mark Zuckerberg, started to work after maternity leave, said that his company is actively cooperating with American officials and helps them to investigate the possible involvement of Russian authorities in the election of the President of the United States through the purchase of political advertising on the social network.