IT BEGINS

U.K. Watchdog Opens Inquiry Into Possible Russia-Brexit Links

“We don’t just sit back and see what lands on our doorstep.”

Britain’s election watchdog has opened an inquiry into possible Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, The Times of London reports. The Electoral Commission previously said it was “in dialogue” with social-media sites, including Facebook and Twitter, over allegations that the Kremlin attempted to influence the U.S. presidential election. Now that probe will also reportedly look at the role of Facebook and Twitter as a tool used by Russia to destabilize the democratic process in the U.K. “We are asking questions of Facebook and Twitter and this work is ongoing,” said Bob Posner, the commission’s director of political finance and regulation. “We don’t just sit back and see what lands on our doorstep.”