THAN EVER. IT’S MY JOB TO ASK THE TOUGH
QUESTIONS LEFT AND RIGHT AND
HELP YOU MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL.
>> MORE AMERICANS WATCH NBC NEWS
THAN ANY OTHER NEWS ORGANIZATION
IN THE WORLD.
>>> AFTER A TWO-YEAR
INVESTIGATION THE SENATE SELECT
COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE JUST
RELEASED A BIPARTISAN REPORT
DETAILING HOW RUSSIA USED SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS TO INFLUENCE THE
2016 ELECTION.
2016 ELECTION. WHEN, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK WE
KNOW RUSSIA INFLUENCED THE 2016
ELECTION.
ELECTION. WHAT ARE THE NEW TAKE A WAYS.
>> Reporter: SOME OF THIS HAS
BEEN REPORTED BEFORE BUT THIS IS
NOW THE FINDINGS OF A BIPARTISAN
INVESTIGATION BY THE SENATE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE, ENFORCED
BY RICH AND BURR.
ONE OF THE TOP LINE FINDINGS IS
THAT THIS SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT
WAS DESIGNED TO HURT HILLARY
CLINTON AND HELP DONALD TRUMP.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S BEING
LITIGATED AND SOMETHING THAT
DONALD TRUMP HAS NOT COME TO
GRIPS WITH.
GRIPS WITH. ANOTHER HUGE FINDING IS THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHERE THE DEM
TRAFFIC TARGETED MORE BY RUSSIAN
TROLLS ANY ANY OTHER GROUP.
THERE IS A SET OF
RECOMMENDATIONS, THESE SENATORS
ARE CALLING FOR THE
CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATION
REGULATING SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANIES.
COMPANIES. THIS STUFF IS STILL GOING ON AND
WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE NOT COME TO
GRIPS WITH HOW TO STOP T ONE OF
THE THINGS THEY ARE CALLING FOR
IS A LAW THAT WOULD REQUIRE
EARLIEST CONSIDERATION, A LAW
THAT WOULD REQUIRE DISCLOSING
THE SOURCES OF ONLINE ADS.
YOU CAN FIND OUT WHO PAID FOR A
POLITICAL TELEVISION AD BUT NOT
AN AD PLACED ON FACEBOOK, SOME
OF THESE ADS WERE PAID FOR WITH
RUBLES IN 2016, THEY WERE
CLEARLY RUSSIAN AND WE HAD NO
IDEA WHO WAS PAYING FOR IT AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. >> LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT THE FACT THAT BLACK VOTERS
WERE TARGETED MORE THAN ANY
OTHER GROUPS.
OTHER GROUPS. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THOSE
VOTER SUPPRESSION CAMPAIGNS?
>> IT WAS A CONCERTED EFFORT TO
DISSUADE BLACK AMERICANS FROM
VOTING.
VOTING. THIS VERY CLEAR MESSAGING.
EVERYTHING FROM HILLARY CLINTON
DONATED $20,000 TO THE KKK TO,
YOU KNOW, OUR VOTES DON’T MATTER
ANYWAY OR ENCOURAGING THEM TO
VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE
JILL STEIN.
JILL STEIN. FAMOUSLY DONALD TRUMP IN
DECEMBER 2016 AT A RALLY IN
PENNSYLVANIA THANKED BLACK
VOTERS FOR FAILING TO COME OUT
FOR HILLARY CLINTON AS HE PUT IT
IN THE KIND OF NUMBERS THEY CAME
OUT FOR BARACK OBAMA.
HE THOUGHT DONALD TRUMP DID THAT
THAT WAS A VICTORY FOR HIS
CAMPAIGN.
CAMPAIGN. >> ACCORDING TO THE REPORT MORE
THAN 3 MILLION AMERICANS
FOLLOWED THESE PAGES.
WE KNOW SOME OF THE CONTENT IS
OUTLANDISH BUT ARE THERE THINGS
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN
LOOKING FOR AND SAYING THIS IS A
TROLL, IT ISN’T REAL.
>> SCHOLARS WHO EXAMINED THIS
FOUND THAT THESE FOLKS SITTING
IN RUSSIA HAD A KEEN
UNDERSTANDING OF AMERICAN
POLITICS, PARTICULARLY THE USE
OF MEMES AND CONSERVATIVE MEMES.
THEY WERE ADEPT AT EMPLOYING THE
LANGUAGE AND MEMES THAT WERE
ALREADY IN USE IN AMERICAN
POLITICS.
POLITICS. OTHER OF THE POSTINGS WERE KIND
OF SORT OF OBVIOUS IT WAS IN A
FOREIGN LANGUAGE BUT THEY WERE
SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING PEOPLE TO
HOLD RALLIES, ACTUAL -- YOU
KNOW, THEIR ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL
MEDIA GOT ACTUAL AMERICANS TO
TAKE ACTUAL ACTION.
IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW
VULNERABLE AS A SOCIETY WE ARE
TO THIS KIND OF MANIPULATION.
>> YOU JUST LED ME INTO MY NEXT
QUESTION.
QUESTION. HOW CONCERNED DO PEOPLE NEED TO
BE.
BE. WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016, WE
HEAR THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO IMPROVE
THINGS FOR 2020.
HOW VULNERABLE DO WE REMAIN
GOING FORWARD?
GOING FORWARD? >> INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS SAY
INCREDIBLY SO.
INCREDIBLY SO. THIS REPORT CALLS FOR A WHOLE OF
GOVERNMENT TO COMBAT THIS
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. WE ARE THREE YEARS AFTER THIS
HAPPENED AND THERE IS NO SUCH
PATCHWORK IN PART BECAUSE DONALD
TRUMP HAS NOT WANTED TO DEAL
WITH THIS ISSUE.
THE FBI AND OTHER AGENCIES HAVE
TAKEN INDIVIDUAL ACTION TO TRY
TO COMBAT SOCIAL MEDIA AND IT’S
TRUE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS
DOING MORE THAN IT EVER HAS AND
THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES ARE
DOING MORE THAN THEY EVER HAVE.
WE ARE A LONG WAY FROM SOLVING
THIS PROBLEM.
THIS PROBLEM. WE NEED AWARENESS ON THE PART OF
THE PUBLIC THAT THIS CAN HAPPEN
AND TO BE SORT OF CRITICAL ABOUT
THE INFORMATION THEY’RE GETTING
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED WE DON’T
HAVE A LOT OF TIME LEFT.