A new draft report prepared for the US Senate and obtained by The Washington Post newspaper alleges that Russia used virtually every social media network to interfere in the 2016 US presidential campaign
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th December, 2018) A new draft report prepared for the US Senate and obtained by The Washington Post newspaper alleges that Russia used virtually every social media network to interfere in the 2016 US presidential campaign.
The report was prepared by Oxford University's Computational Propaganda Project and network analysis firm Graphika, according to the newspaper. It is unclear whether or not the report has been approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The draft report says that is the first study of millions of posts based on the information provided by IT giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Google for the intelligence committee.
"What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party and specifically [incumbent US President] Donald Trump ... Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing voters, where the messaging encouraged these groups to support his campaign. The main groups that could challenge Trump were then provided messaging that sought to confuse, distract and ultimately discourage members from voting," the draft report said, as quoted by the newspaper.
The report pointed out that the alleged cyberoperation had even intensified after Trump's victory in the presidential election to support his activities in office.
The report focused on the role of such social media platforms as YouTube and Instagram. Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail were also said to have been involved in the campaign.
The US Congress is currently investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election and collusion between Trump's campaign team and the Kremlin. Another investigation into the purported interference is being conducted the Department of Justice under Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the claims of interference, stressing that no evidence has been offered to substantiate the allegations. They have also said the allegations were invented to excuse the election loss of a presidential candidate and deflect public attention from actual instances of electoral fraud and corruption.
