Facebook helps users with Russian interference in US presidential election

Social network Facebook announced on Wednesday that it would allow its users to see if they were exposed to content on Facebook or Instagram related to various Russian interference during the 2016 US presidential election.

"A new mechanism will be launched by the end of the year," promised the social network, which added that it would reveal whether a page or account belonging to the Internet Research Agency, a company linked to Russian intelligence services and accused of publishing thousands of messages to influence the campaign that led to the election of Donald Trump in November 2015, was ''liked'' or ''followed'' between January 2016 and August 2016.

"It is important that individuals are informed about how foreign interveners have attempted to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election," Facebook wrote.

The creation of this new tool comes after Facebook and other internet giants were denounced by the US Congress for allowing the transmission of content posted online by Russian interests and for the delay in responding to this influence campaign.

"In total, about 150 million Facebook and Instagram users saw content created by Russian operators to influence the presidential election," Facebook's legal director, Colin Stretch, claimed during a parliamentary hearing dedicated to the role of social networks in the campaign.