SCRUTINY

Facebook to Hand Over 3,000 Russia-Linked Ads to Congress on Monday

As lawmakers slam social-media giant for not disclosing foreign-bought content sooner.

Facebook announced Sunday that it would turn over 3,000 Russian-linked advertisements to congressional investigators Monday, amid mounting questions about the social-media giant’s role in Russian election meddling. Facebook has not yet revealed details on the types of advertisements and content to be handed over, but multiple news reports have said the social network acted as a platform for various bogus accounts run by Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The Daily Beast broke the news late last month that one such Facebook group, United Muslims of America, was actually operated by Kremlin-backed trolls. Facebook has vowed to overhaul its advertising protocols in light of the scandal, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was “committed” to dealing “with nation-states attempting to subvert elections.” Twitter has also disclosed to congressional investigators that it uncovered hundreds of Russian-linked accounts, and Google recently announced an internal investigation into whether its advertising products were also usurped by Kremlin-linked trolls.