Facebook has a new tool that will inform if you followed Russian Hacker propaganda or as Trump puts it, Fake News.
In a stark admission that Russia probably did influence the 2016 US election, amongst other events (hello Brexit), the tech giant will now tell you if you like or follow a page from a fake Russian account.
- “It is important that people understand how foreign actors tried to sow division and mistrust using Facebook before and after the 2016 US election,” Facebook said in a statement.
- “That’s why as we have discovered information, we have continually come forward to share it publicly and have provided it to congressional investigators. And it’s also why we’re building the tool we are announcing today.”
- This move mostly stems around a company called the Internet Research Agency. This troll farm, based out of Russia, has created numerous fake accounts and pages to dupe people into believing farcical stories. No, I'm not typing “fake news”. Wait, crap.
First Facebook said it didn't happen. Then they said it might have done. Now they're releasing an actual tool to tell you if you fell for Russian propaganda.
- The tool will be available in the Facebook Help Center, with the title: “How can I see if I've liked or followed a Facebook Page or Instagram account created by the Internet Research Agency?”
- Examples of such pages given by Facebook include “Being Patriotic”, “Heart of Texas”, and “Stop All Invaders”.
If you follow any of these pages non-ironically, please delete your account. Facebook
- The tool will highlight pages or accounts people followed between January 2015 and August 2017.
- This also includes the friendly-sounding page “Secured Borders”.
- You'll only have access to the tool if you actually follow or like a Russian propaganda page.
Hopefully this doesn't apply to you.