Facebook Data 'Does Not Contradict' Intelligence on Russia Meddling

Less than six months ago, Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the idea that the social publishing platform he founded was being used to manipulate voters as "pretty crazy." But in a new report, Facebook now says it has data that "does not contradict" a key U.S. intelligence report that describes "information warfare" ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and carried out on Facebook and across the web. "Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," officials wrote in a declassified version of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence report in January. Guided by the Russian government's "clear preference" for Donald Trump, the DNI report said, Moscow followed a strategy "that blends covert intelligence operations--such as cyber activity--with overt efforts by Russian Government agencies, state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users or'trolls.'" Scholars have long theorized about the possibility of people manipulating public opinion on Facebook--Facebook itself carried out a mood experiment on its users--but U.S. intelligence officials call Moscow's latest meddling "unprecedented."