Success: Facebook to Release Content of Russian Ads

Target: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO

Goal: Support the release of Russian ads to Congress.

Facebook has announced that it will release the more than 3,000 ads linked to Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Thanks to petitions like this one at ForceChange, the company has developed a nine-point plan to deal with election interference, and will hand over the content of these ads to Congress in order to assist in the Russia investigation. As Colin Stretch, Facebook general counsel, posted, “We believe it is vitally important that government authorities have the information they need to deliver to the public a full assessment of what happened in the 2016 election… We believe the public deserves a full accounting of what happened in the 2016 election, and we’ve concluded that sharing the ads we’ve discovered, in a manner that is consistent with our obligations to protect user information, can help.”

Facebook will not only be releasing the ads, but will also alter how it handles political advertising and will be strengthening its review process of political ads, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The company will be adding 250 employees to its election integrity team, finding ways to share risks that have been flagged with other tech companies, expanding its partnership with official election commissions, and exploring the inclusion of political harassment in its anti-bullying system. The ads themselves will also include a disclosure about which page posted them, and what ads that page has posted in the past. “We are in a new world. It is a new challenge for internet communities to have to deal with nation states attempting to subvert elections, but if that’s what we must do then we are committed to rising to the occasion,” CEO Zuckerberg says.

Sign below to support this commitment to the protection of our democracy and the public’s right to remain informed.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,

Thank you for agreeing to release the content of ads posted on Facebook linked to Russian propaganda and possible meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The threat posed to our democracy because of this situation is a serious one, and Facebook’s commitment to transparency and to assisting in the Russia investigation was not only admirable but also necessary.

Additionally, Facebook’s updated standards when it comes to political advertisements will help keep situations like this from occurring in the future. The content of these ads could prove vital in the Russia investigation, the results and progress of which are vital information that the public deserves to know. I support Facebook’s commitment to the well-being of American citizens and the decision to release the Russian ads.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Brian Solis


One Comment

  1. Gen Lovyet Agustsson says:

    russians must’ve hacked the election.

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