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Twitter doesn’t trust Putin, bans Kremlin-funded ads on its platform

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Social media giants Twitter is taking new steps to ban certain advertising after revealing that bots linked to Russian attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election used the platform to spread their message.

“State-sponsored attempts to “interfere with and disrupt” the election are “not something we want on Twitter,” the San Francisco social media company said on its blog.

Twitter said it will donate the $1.9 million in advertising revenue it has obtained since 2011 from Russia Today to outside research about Twitter’s use in “civic engagement and elections.”

Read also: Scientists mull lava tube where astronauts can hangout on the moon

Sputnik and Russia Today, also known as RT, won’t lose their ability to post to Twitter — meaning they can continue using the service to circulate articles, videos and opinion pieces.

Twitter’s move comes as social media platforms face increased scrutiny for their failure to stop bots, foreign governments and anonymous ads from spreading misinformation and propaganda.

Twitter and Facebook have both pledged to increase transparency surrounding political ads.

 

 

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