Thread by @cjcmichel

The new numbers on the fake social media accounts run out of Russia are staggering. thinkprogress.org/questions-cong…

Facebook 'has refused to speak on the record about the troll accounts, and had not independently released the troll accounts to the public.' thedailybeast.com/civil-rights-g…

Today's Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing with Facebook, Twitter, and Google is about to begin: judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/extre…

.@LindseyGrahamSC hits the ground running in subcommittee hearing: “If you’re a man like Putin, democracy is your worst nightmare." On fake social media accounts: "Those who wish to undermine the American way of life found portals.”

.@SenWhitehouse’s “Russian toolbox” checklist makes its return:

.@SenFeinstein: “What is hard to comprehend is how easily … [Russia] turned modern technologies to their advantage. … This is really a critical hearing.”

Facebook’s general counsel Colin Stretch: Russian interference is “reprehensible. … These foreign actors sought to drive people apart.” People “have every right to expect more from us.” (Facebook still hasn’t commented on record to identify fake Russian accounts.)

.@LindseyGrahamSC: “Could Iran and North Korea potentially do this?” Facebook’s Stretch: “Certainly potentially.”

Facebook’s Stretch: Post-election, fake accounts run out of Russia turned toward contesting the validity of Trump’s election. Graham asks if there was clear anti-Clinton bias in lead-up to election. Stretch: “That’s an accurate statement.” #DisinfoHearings

.@SenWhitehouse – who’s led charge on removing anonymous shell companies elsewhere – asks about how FB, Twitter, Google deal with shell companies. (In this example, “Americans for Puppies and Prosperity.”) #DisinfoHearings

.@ChuckGrassley asks if Facebook has “produced” all of the Russia-linked ads, Stretch says it’s “produced” everything from “coordinated inauthentic activity,” adds that Facebook's internal investigation continues. #DisinfoHearings

.@azizansari cameo at today's congressional hearings, photoshopped to make Americans think they could vote from home.

.@SenFranken grilling Stretch on how Facebook missed U.S. political ads paid for in rubles. This face was made in in the middle of the grilling. #DisinfoHearings

Wednesday's #DisinfoHearings kicks off: Facebook's Stretch says that total users exposed to fake Russian material, combining Facebook and Instagram, is nearly 150 million users.

Senators even more pointed in questioning today than yesterday. @SenFeinstein: "You have to be the ones to do something about it. Or we will."

.@MartinHeinrich asks why Facebook won’t release Russian ads to the public. Facebook's Stretch: “We agree that the more people that can see the content that ran the better.”

(Facebook has released none of these ads, nor any organic material, to the public.) #DisinfoHearings

Some of the topics these fake Russian accounts focused on post-election (many already reported):

Facebook: Immigration, Electoral College
Twitter: NFL
Google: Police shootings, race-related issues

.@SenTomCotton: "Is it biased to side with America over our adversaries?"

Twitter's Edgett: "We're trying to be unbiased all over the world." #DisinfoHearings

The fake Vietnam Vets page mentioned in today's #DisinfoHearings doesn't necessarily appear a fake Russian page, as it leads to a .eu page (vvets.eu) that sells ads. May have simply been revenue-generation operation.

Neither @TedCruz nor @JohnCornyn have asked any questions about the "Heart of Texas" page, which targeted Texans - and pushed Texas secession in particular. #DisinfoHearings