Twitter issued an announcement Thursday that it had suspended 201 Russia-linked accounts that posted thousands of political ads on Facebook, but some lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction saying the problem is far broader, The Washington Post reports.
The social media company stated that it also discovered three accounts from the RT news site that spent $274,100 in ads on its platform in 2016. Democrat Senator Mark R. Warner doubted whether Twitter is working enough in order to stop Russian operatives from using the platform to spread disinformation and division in the U.S. society.
Warner stated that Twitter’s presentation to a meeting behind closed doors of Senate Intelligence Committee staffers Thursday morning was “deeply disappointing” and “inadequate on almost every level.”
“The company showed an enormous lack of understanding . . . about how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions,” Warner stated.
The meetings that were held between the company and congressional investigators were part of a widening government investigation into how Russian operatives used Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social media platforms to widen divisions in the United States and spread disinformation during the 2016 campaign. Those companies have come under increasing pressure from Capitol Hill to investigate Russian interference and are facing the possibility of new regulations that might influence their massive advertising businesses.
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