FB, Twitter asked to testify in probe

Senate Intelligence Committee, probing Russia’s alleged interference in polls, to hold hearing

A protest against U.S. President Donald Trump at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Executives from Facebook , Alphabet Inc’s Google and Twitter have been asked to testify to the U.S. Congress in coming weeks as lawmakers probe Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election, committee sources said on Wednesday.

A Senate aide said executives from the three firms had been asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee to appear at a public hearing on Nov. 1.

The leaders of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee said the panel would hold an open hearing next month with representatives from unnamed technology companies in an effort to “better understand how Russia used online tools and platforms to sow discord in and influence our election”. Representatives for Facebook and Google confirmed they had received invitations from the Senate committee but did not say whether the companies would attend. Twitter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The House panel did not immediately identify any companies, but a committee source said lawmakers expected to hear from the same three firms the Senate had asked to testify.

Facebook’s revelation

Facebook revealed this month that suspected Russian trolls purchased more than $1,00,000 worth of divisive ads on its platform during the 2016 election cycle, a revelation that has prompted calls from some Democrats for new disclosure rules for online political ads.

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump attacked Facebook in a tweet and suggested the world’s largest social network had colluded with other media outlets that opposed him.

The salvo prompted a lengthy rebuke from Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who said both Mr. Trump and liberals were upset about ideas and content on Facebook during the campaign.

“That’s what running a platform for all ideas looks like,” Mr. Zuckerberg wrote on his personal Facebook page.

Also on Wednesday, the Daily Beast, citing unnamed sources, reported that a Facebook group named “United Muslims of America” was a fake account linked to the Russian government and that it was used to push false claims about U.S. politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The group bought Facebook ads to reach targeted audiences, promoting political rallies aimed at Muslims, the website reported.