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By SecureWorld News Team
Fri | Sep 22, 2017 | 6:48 AM PDT

By now you've likely seen the headlines that Facebook is sharing the actual Russian linked ads that were designed to influence the 2016 presidential election. 

The company is not sharing the advertisements and articles with the public but instead with the U.S Congress and the Special Counsel currently investigating Russia's involvement.

At a time when web hosting and social media companies are often pushing back against government demands for information, we wondered why Facebook decided to hand everything over in this case.

Why Facebook is Sharing Russian Linked Ads with Congress

Facebook says it has been facing 'hard questions' about this decision. Now, Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Policy and Communications, has spelled it out for us:

"...this is an extraordinary investigation — one that raises questions that go to the integrity of the US elections. After an extensive legal and policy review, we’ve concluded that sharing the ads we’ve discovered with Congress, in a manner that is consistent with our obligations to protect user information, will help government authorities complete the vitally important work of assessing what happened in the 2016 election. That is an assessment that can be made only by investigators with access to classified intelligence and information from all relevant companies and industries — and we want to do our part. Congress is best placed to use the information we and others provide to inform the public comprehensively and completely."

But why isn't Facebook sharing this information with the public?

And one more time: did Facebook know it was accepting foreign advertising dollars to spread information designed to sway the election?

These questions and more are answered in a brand new FAQ on Facebook and Russia. Then you can form your own opinion on whether this move by Facebook was the correct one.

 

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