In their testimony, the social media companies revealed startling new data showing many more millions of Americans were exposed to the fake news than previously thought. In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted the US accusations of election-meddling were being made "without one piece of evidence." He said social media manipulation by terror networks and foreign governments is "one of the greatest challenges to American democracy" and national security. Analysts say Russia's social media interference was part of a broader effort to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Asked by Graham whether he believed countries like Iran or North Korea could launch similar social media campaigns of misinformation, Stretch noted it was "certainly" possible.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 31, 2017 21:22 UTC