Facebook carefully denies rumors that Russia spread Brexit propaganda

Brexit.
(Image credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Late Monday, Facebook pushed back against rumors that its platform was exploited by Russian operatives trying to influence last year's Brexit vote. The company told BuzzFeed News in a delicate statement that it had not seen "significant coordination" between Russia-linked accounts, whether with "ad buys or political misinformation targeting Brexit voters." The denial came just hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of meddling in elections and "planting fake stories."

Damian Collins, the head of the U.K. House of Commons' digital media and culture committee, has written to Facebook, Twitter, and Google asking for information in regards to Russian-linked accounts that may have spread misinformation or propaganda about Brexit. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has yet to respond to Collins' inquiry, and the company offered only Monday's statement.

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Kelly O'Meara Morales

Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.