Russian operatives sacrifice followers to stay under cover on Facebook

FILE PHOTO: Figurines are seen in front of the Facebook logo in this illustration taken March 20, 2018. REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Efforts by Russian influence campaigns to stay undetected on social media ahead of next year's U.S. elections are undermining their ability to gain followers and spread divisive political messages, a senior Facebook executive told Reuters.

Social media users need to stand out from the crowd to gain traction online, but that type of behaviour also helps Facebook and other platforms identify suspicious activity to then analyse for signs of foreign involvement, said Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cyber security policy.