https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46590890

Russia 'meddled in all big social media' around US e******n
17th December 2018, 07:10 CST

"What is clear is that all of the messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party - and specifically Donald Trump," the report says.
"Trump is mentioned most in campaigns targeting conservatives and right-wing v**ers, 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 v****g."


Russia used every major social media platform to try to influence the 2016 US e******n, a report claims.

New research says YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram and PayPal - as well as Facebook and Twitter - were leveraged to spread propaganda.

The report, released today by the US Senate, exposes the scale of Russian disinformation efforts.
Its authors criticise the "belated and unco-ordinated response" by tech firms.
The report was put together by University of Oxford's Computational Propaganda Project and the social network analysis firm Graphika.

It is the first analysis of millions of social media posts provided by Twitter, Google and Facebook to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
While Facebook and Twitter have previously disclosed Russian interference, little has been known about the use of other platforms.
The report suggests YouTube, Tumblr, PayPal and Google+ were all affected, with Russia adapting techniques from digital marketing to target audiences across multiple channels.
"It's a whole family of social media sites," says Philip N Howard, director of the Oxford Internet Institute. "We think the goal was to make the campaigns seem more legitimate."
Sergei Skripal and the Russian disinformation game
Facebook to share Russia-linked political adverts with investigators
Russia-linked posts 'reached 126m Facebook users in US.

The research details a vast campaign spearheaded by the Internet Research Agency (IRA) - a Russian company that has been described by the United States Intelligence Community as a troll farm with ties to the Russian government.
The report says Russia had a particular focus on targeting conservatives with posts on immigration, race and gun rights.
There were also efforts to undermine the v****g power of left-leaning African-American citizens, by spreading misinformation about the e*******l process.
Another report, also released today by the Senate, by the research firm New Knowledge, similarly highlights Russia's efforts to target African-Americans.
It explains how Russia's IRA were focused on "developing Black audiences and recruiting B***k A******ns as assets," which included encouraging activists to stage rallies.