Klobuchar Statement on Facebook’s Announcement That They Have Identified New Paid Ads from Fake Accounts Designed to Divide Americans
Facebook could not immediately identify the source of the accounts but said many resemble those used by Russia during the 2016 elections
U.S. intelligence officials have been warning for months that foreign adversaries are using platforms like Facebook to influence upcoming elections
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal elections, released the following statement today after Facebook announced that it has identified 32 coordinated inauthentic accounts that were used to influence American democracy. While Facebook could not immediately identify the sources of the accounts, they did find consistencies between these accounts and accounts linked to Russia during the 2016 elections. Facebook confirmed that the accounts ran about 150 paid ads on Facebook and Instagram.
“This announcement by Facebook confirms what our intelligence officials have told us for months—foreign adversaries like Russia are engaging in coordinated influence campaigns to interfere in our electoral process. Congress must immediately pass my bipartisan Honest Ads Act to ensure that all major platforms that sell political advertisements are held to the same rules of the road as those sold on TV, radio, and satellite—we must have consistent standards for transparency and accountability so Americans know who is paying to influence public discourse. The announcement today highlights the importance of passing this legislation because Facebook reports that none of the ads were purchased after it began implementing new transparency rules called for in the Honest Ads Act.
“We also must pass my bipartisan Secure Elections Act to strengthen election cybersecurity in America and protect against foreign interference in future elections. Election security is national security and we are only 98 days away from the next election. With our democracy at stake, we cannot afford to wait.”
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