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| Facebook must 'follow the money' to uncover extent of Russian meddling | Facebook must 'follow the money' to uncover extent of Russian meddling |
| (4 months later) | |
| Zuckerberg and other social media executives need to prove that they are taking threats seriously. We can’t afford to leave a single stone unturned | |
| Mon 9 Oct 2017 17.53 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 9 Oct 2017 18.00 BST | |
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| After initial resistance, public pressure recently compelled Facebook to open an investigation into political ads purchased by Russian entities to influence the 2016 election. But there are reasons to believe that Facebook’s investigation may be too narrow. To find and interdict the culprits, Facebook must follow the money – thoroughly, and without limiting the scope in a way that allows nefarious actors to persist. | After initial resistance, public pressure recently compelled Facebook to open an investigation into political ads purchased by Russian entities to influence the 2016 election. But there are reasons to believe that Facebook’s investigation may be too narrow. To find and interdict the culprits, Facebook must follow the money – thoroughly, and without limiting the scope in a way that allows nefarious actors to persist. |
| The “follow the money” approach is as old as the investigative business itself. But as an investigator of illicit finance with extensive corporate experience, I can testify that this approach is both as effective as ever and especially critical in the case of the current Facebook investigation. | The “follow the money” approach is as old as the investigative business itself. But as an investigator of illicit finance with extensive corporate experience, I can testify that this approach is both as effective as ever and especially critical in the case of the current Facebook investigation. |
| Only through this method can we fully understand the Russian corporate hydra behind the ad buys. Not only will this allow for a more comprehensive assessment of what transpired, but it will also equip us to pre-empt such incursions in the future. | Only through this method can we fully understand the Russian corporate hydra behind the ad buys. Not only will this allow for a more comprehensive assessment of what transpired, but it will also equip us to pre-empt such incursions in the future. |
| Much has been made of the dollar amounts spent by Russian entities on political Facebook ads. Some have argued that $150,000 is an insignificant fraction of the total spent on political ads in 2016, while others have pointed to the outsized return on investment from well-targeted placements. Based on what we know of Facebook’s internal audit to date, however, we cannot be certain that all the suspicious transactions have been identified. | Much has been made of the dollar amounts spent by Russian entities on political Facebook ads. Some have argued that $150,000 is an insignificant fraction of the total spent on political ads in 2016, while others have pointed to the outsized return on investment from well-targeted placements. Based on what we know of Facebook’s internal audit to date, however, we cannot be certain that all the suspicious transactions have been identified. |
| According to a recent report in the Washington Post, the “breakthrough moment” in Facebook’s internal investigation came when they “zeroed in on a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency, which had been publicly identified as a troll farm”. By August, Facebook had reportedly identified more than 3,000 ads purchased by accounts associated with this company. | According to a recent report in the Washington Post, the “breakthrough moment” in Facebook’s internal investigation came when they “zeroed in on a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency, which had been publicly identified as a troll farm”. By August, Facebook had reportedly identified more than 3,000 ads purchased by accounts associated with this company. |
| Mark Zuckerberg was too quick to dismiss President Obama’s warnings about Russia’s misuse of Facebook | Mark Zuckerberg was too quick to dismiss President Obama’s warnings about Russia’s misuse of Facebook |
| However, a key point has consistently been ignored: the Internet Research Agency (IRA) is not a lone wolf. It is one of many Russian entities engaging in trolling. | However, a key point has consistently been ignored: the Internet Research Agency (IRA) is not a lone wolf. It is one of many Russian entities engaging in trolling. |
| The Internet Research Agency, officially inactive since December 2016, has existed within a larger disinformation ecosystem in St Petersburg. Though it may have been the original “troll farm” when it was first incorporated in July 2013, since then, several separate – yet related – companies have sprung up. Given the pattern of their operations, it is likely that they too had purchased similar politically charged ads targeting US audiences. | The Internet Research Agency, officially inactive since December 2016, has existed within a larger disinformation ecosystem in St Petersburg. Though it may have been the original “troll farm” when it was first incorporated in July 2013, since then, several separate – yet related – companies have sprung up. Given the pattern of their operations, it is likely that they too had purchased similar politically charged ads targeting US audiences. |
| For example, Wired recently wrote about Glavset, a reported successor of the IRA. Russian investigative reporters have been chasing “troll farms” for years, and they have identified more purportedly related companies, including one called Teka. Russian corporate records corroborate the alleged links, such as shared executives, addresses, and phone numbers. | For example, Wired recently wrote about Glavset, a reported successor of the IRA. Russian investigative reporters have been chasing “troll farms” for years, and they have identified more purportedly related companies, including one called Teka. Russian corporate records corroborate the alleged links, such as shared executives, addresses, and phone numbers. |
| What’s more, Russian investigative journalists have asserted that Kremlin propaganda “media farms”, particularly the Federal News Agency (FAN) and its offshoots, originated from the IRA, further blurring the line between party-line news and weapons-grade trolling. | What’s more, Russian investigative journalists have asserted that Kremlin propaganda “media farms”, particularly the Federal News Agency (FAN) and its offshoots, originated from the IRA, further blurring the line between party-line news and weapons-grade trolling. |
| This all means that many other Russian entities could have purchased political campaign ads to sway our election. Blaming it all on the IRA is inadequate, incorrect, and worst of all, misleading. | This all means that many other Russian entities could have purchased political campaign ads to sway our election. Blaming it all on the IRA is inadequate, incorrect, and worst of all, misleading. |
| To follow the money, an investigator needs to understand both ends of a transaction; consequently, identifying all transacting actors is paramount. Has Facebook reviewed ad payment activity for references to Glavset and Teka, as it had for the Internet Research Agency? What about Federal News Agency and its dozen or so branches? | To follow the money, an investigator needs to understand both ends of a transaction; consequently, identifying all transacting actors is paramount. Has Facebook reviewed ad payment activity for references to Glavset and Teka, as it had for the Internet Research Agency? What about Federal News Agency and its dozen or so branches? |
| One defense Facebook has leaned on is that it is difficult to fully account for all compromised ad purchases. They claim this is because many were carried out through its self-service tool, which allows buyers to purchase ads independently, bypassing vetting inherent to the traditional vendor-customer interaction. This certainly makes the investigation more challenging, but even an anonymous transaction leaves a trail of crumbs. | One defense Facebook has leaned on is that it is difficult to fully account for all compromised ad purchases. They claim this is because many were carried out through its self-service tool, which allows buyers to purchase ads independently, bypassing vetting inherent to the traditional vendor-customer interaction. This certainly makes the investigation more challenging, but even an anonymous transaction leaves a trail of crumbs. |
| Based on what we know of Russian “troll farms”, an army of young people, who receive minimal training upon hire, execute the daily tasks. There is a high chance for human error, and it’s quite possible that mistaken inputs of emails or phone numbers were made when setting up anonymous accounts or purchasing ads. It’s not uncommon to find apertures for exploitation, where a concrete link can be established. Suddenly a network emerges, and the scope of the investigation expands. | Based on what we know of Russian “troll farms”, an army of young people, who receive minimal training upon hire, execute the daily tasks. There is a high chance for human error, and it’s quite possible that mistaken inputs of emails or phone numbers were made when setting up anonymous accounts or purchasing ads. It’s not uncommon to find apertures for exploitation, where a concrete link can be established. Suddenly a network emerges, and the scope of the investigation expands. |
| The exercise of mapping a corporate network also supplies Facebook’s internal investigators with additional selectors, or indicators, used to query its sea of data. While it was encouraging to learn that Facebook’s engineers thought of creative ways to identify suspicious political ads originating in Russia – including by looking for Cyrillic characters and purchases in rubles – querying large data sets with concrete keywords and selectors is typically more effective. | The exercise of mapping a corporate network also supplies Facebook’s internal investigators with additional selectors, or indicators, used to query its sea of data. While it was encouraging to learn that Facebook’s engineers thought of creative ways to identify suspicious political ads originating in Russia – including by looking for Cyrillic characters and purchases in rubles – querying large data sets with concrete keywords and selectors is typically more effective. |
| Mark Zuckerberg was too quick to dismiss President Obama’s warnings about Russia’s misuse of Facebook to undermine our democracy. Zuckerberg and other social media executives need to prove that they are now taking these threats seriously. They can do so by ensuring their investigations are transparent, accurate and exhaustive. When our democracy is at stake, we can’t afford to leave a single stone unturned. | Mark Zuckerberg was too quick to dismiss President Obama’s warnings about Russia’s misuse of Facebook to undermine our democracy. Zuckerberg and other social media executives need to prove that they are now taking these threats seriously. They can do so by ensuring their investigations are transparent, accurate and exhaustive. When our democracy is at stake, we can’t afford to leave a single stone unturned. |
| Diana Pilipenko is a principal investigator for the Moscow Project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. | Diana Pilipenko is a principal investigator for the Moscow Project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. |
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