Tech companies deny Russian social media infiltration

Dutch report claims evidence of the Russian involvement

Washington: Google and Twitter told lawmakers they’ve found no evidence of Russian influence efforts via their platforms in the handful of U.S. elections held last year, reports Politico.

The companies, along with Facebook, responded to written questions from Senate Intelligence Committee members as the next step in lawmakers’ scrutiny of how and how much Russian-affiliated interests used U.S. social media networks to sow chaos and influence the country’s 2016 elections.

Meanwhile AFP reports from the Hague,Dutch intelligence services have provided “crucial evidence” to US counterparts about Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, Dutch media reported yesterday. After penetrating the network of Russian hackers known as Cozy Bear, the Dutch agents alerted US spy chiefs as they watched the Russians transfer “thousands” of Democratic Party emails ahead of the presidential vote.

The Dutch national intelligence service (AIVD) had been watching the notorious group since 2014, according to the respected Volkskrant daily, and a Dutch TV news programme Nieuwsuur.

In answers released Thursday, Google and Twitter said they aren’t aware of any “state-sponsored attempts to interfere in any American elections” last year. Two states — New Jersey and Virginia — held gubernatorial elections in 2017, but there were few national or statewide races in the off-year election. “While we have not specifically detected any abuse of our platforms in connection with the 2017 state elections, our work is ongoing, and we will continue to develop tools and processes to combat evolving threats,” Google General Counsel Kent Walker wrote. Twitter acting General Counsel Sean Edgett said his company “is not aware” of any state-sponsored interference attempts last year, while Facebook General Counsel Colin Stretch didn’t directly answer the question but disclosed no known incidents.

The companies, under the microscope for their role in facilitating Russian outreach in the 2016 U.S. elections, sought to downplay the extent of that influence in written answers released Thursday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

 

Tech companies deny Russian social media infiltration

Dutch report claims evidence of the Russian involvement

Washington: Google and Twitter told lawmakers theyve found no evidence of Russian influence efforts via their platforms in the handful of U.S. elections held last year, reports Politico. The companies, along with Facebook, responded to written questions from Senate Intelligence Committee members as the next step in lawmakers scrutiny of how and how much Russian-affiliated interests used U.S. social media networks to sow chaos and influence the countrys 2016 elections. Meanwhile AFP reports from the Hague,Dutch intelligence services have provided crucial evidence to US counterparts about Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, Dutch media reported yesterday. After penetrating the network of Russian hackers known as Cozy Bear, the Dutch agents alerted US spy chiefs as they watched the Russians transfer thousands of Democratic Party emails ahead of the presidential vote. The Dutch national intelligence service (AIVD) had been watching the notorious group since 2014, according to the respected Volkskrant daily, and a Dutch TV news programme Nieuwsuur. In answers released Thursday, Google and Twitter said they arent aware of any state-sponsored attempts to interfere in any American elections last year. Two states New Jersey and Virginia held gubernatorial elections in 2017, but there were few national or statewide races in the off-year election. While we have not specifically detected any abuse of our platforms in connection with the 2017 state elections, our work is ongoing, and we will continue to develop tools and processes to combat evolving threats, Google General Counsel Kent Walker wrote. Twitter acting General Counsel Sean Edgett said his company is not aware of any state-sponsored interference attempts last year, while Facebook General Counsel Colin Stretch didnt directly answer the question but disclosed no known incidents. The companies, under the microscope for their role in facilitating Russian outreach in the 2016 U.S. elections, sought to downplay the extent of that influence in written answers released Thursday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.