Senators warn of foreign social media meddling in US vote

While a previous assessment indicated the Russian activities aspired to help then-candidate Trump when possible, the Senate report went further and said the Russians' social media campaign was "overtly and almost invariably supportive" of Trump and designed to harm Democrat Hillary Clinton. — Bloomberg

WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of US senators urged President Donald Trump on Oct 8 to warn the public about efforts by foreign governments to interfere in US elections, a subject he has largely avoided, and take steps to thwart attempts by hostile nations to use social media to meddle in the 2020 presidential contest.

The recommendations came in an 85-page report issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has been investigating Russia's large-scale effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The senators described the social media activities of the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency in 2016 as part of a "broader, sophisticated, and ongoing information warfare campaign designed to sow discord in American politics and society".