Facebook Inc. is making a series of changes to its advertising systems and plans to add more than 1,000 people to review the advertisements that run on the social media platform in the wake of a congressional investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. election.
Additionally, Facebook said Monday it provided information on about 3,000 relevant ads to congressional investigators. In September, the social media giant disclosed that accounts affiliated with Russia bought more than $100,000 in election-related ads. That disclosure prompted a congressional probe, which now includes Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The companies have been asked to testify before the House Intelligence Committee later this month and the Senate’s corresponding committee on Nov. 1.
Two weeks ago, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced an overhaul to the rules around political ad spending and said the company would add 250 employees to work on election integrity. “I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy,” Zuckerberg said in a video message.
On Monday, the company said it was bulking up the staff that review ad spending, although it declined to offer details on the process. Facebook also introduced several updates to the ad-buying process, including tighter restrictions on content and improved rules to force advertisers to demonstrate their authenticity before they can make purchases.
Facebook declined to expand on the nature of the ads found beyond a Sept. 6 blog post that said “the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum — touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”
Facebook groups such as Defend the 2nd, targeting gun-rights supporters, the gay rights-focused page LGBT United, and even another to attract dog lovers, are suspected as having connections to Russia, the New York Times reported Monday.
U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been critical of Facebook and Twitter for the information the companies have shared with lawmakers thus far. Last week, Warner said that Facebook’s disclosure about ad buys tied to Russia was insufficient.
A decision on whether to release personally identifiable information, such as the names of people who liked posts made by the suspect accounts, is the prerogative of Congress, indicating that no deal has been reached to keep such information private, according to a person familiar with the probe.
U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and the party’s ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to make “a representative sampling of theses ads public” when the technology companies appear for the House committee hearing. “But I am also committed to making all of these ads public as soon as possible, working closely with Facebook to address any privacy considerations,” Schiff said Monday in a statement.
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