Microsoft has not yet found evidence attributed to Russia’s placement on the platforms of political advertising
Uncategorized October 11, 2017
President of Microsoft and Director of its legal Department brad Smith confirmed that the Corporation conducts an investigation of the alleged posting on her platforms of political advertising, which could be Russia, with the aim of making a schism in American society and the impact on the results of last year’s elections in the United States. However, according to him, any evidence not yet discovered.
On the eve of the GeekWire summit (American news site, describing the technologies as well as startups and companies in this field. – Approx. NEWSru.com) in Seattle TV journalist Bloomberg’s Emily Chang asked Smith whether there was any interference on the part of Russia on the Microsoft platform. “We are studying it. We are studying this right now, we check the last few days. Haven’t found anything yet,” said the President of the company.
Smith noted that the current investigation is important for the preparation for the next elections, not only in the United States. “I think we should think about two things. What happened in 2016, what can we learn from this lesson. No matter whether it is Facebook, Twitter or someone else. The more we know, the better it will work. <…> But the question on which we should focus… not about what happened in 2016. As we prepare for 2018 worldwide. In 2019 in Canada will have a new Prime Minister in 2020, here in the US, will the presidential campaign. Suppose that certain people will become more sophisticated in attempts to abuse the social platforms in the cyber attacks against political candidates,” – said the President of the company.
Before it became known that 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. “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”, – said the representative of the company.
Meanwhile, Facebook has supplemented his investigation of a possible intervention of Russia with information about what political ads, it turns out, is still owned by her Instagram. Of the more than three thousand ads, which the company submitted to Congress in connection with the alleged investigation of RF interference in the American elections, 5% were in this social network for sharing photos. For advertising spent about $ 6,700.
According to CNN, Google has already agreed to testify at public hearings in Congress on 1 November about the alleged Russia’s use of social media to intervene in American elections. Informed consent was given Facebook and Twitter.
That Google carried out an investigation in connection with the fact that Russia allegedly placed political advertising on platforms of the company, the newspaper reported The Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the investigation. According to them, the company has found that “Russian agents” spent about 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 reports, purchased advertising on Facebook.
In addition, the company Twitter in the investigation attributed to Russia’s intervention in the US elections of 2016 was blocked by two hundred accounts. In the company’s report on this issue was also mentioned three accounts of the TV channel RT (Russia Today), which spent money to promote tweets to American audience. While it was not stated what was discussed in these publications, and whether they can be considered an attempt to influence the election campaign.
In early September, Facebook announcedthat Russia-related 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.