Facebook Says Russia-Linked Accounts Bought $150,000 in Ads During 2016 Election

Facebook admitted Wednesday that it sold political ads to a Russian company, known for pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda, during the 2016 presidential election.

The ads, aimed at American voters, ran between June 2015 and May 2017, with distinct “divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum,” the company said in a statement. Many of the ads concerned hot-button social and political issues, including LGBT, race, immigration and gun rights, and were linked to about 470 fake accounts and pages.

“Our analysis suggests these accounts and pages were affiliated with one another and likely operated out of Russia,” Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said.