WSJ: Facebook cuts Russia out of April report on election influence

MOSCOW, Oct 6 (PRIME) -- Facebook cut references to Russia from a public report in April about manipulation of its platform around the U.S. presidential election because of concerns among the company’s lawyers and members of its policy team, The Wall Street Journal reported late on Thursday, quoting people familiar with the matter.

The drafting of the report sparked internal debate over how much information to disclose about Russian mischief on Facebook and its efforts to affect U.S. public opinion during the 2016 presidential contest, according to these people.

The daily said that a number of Facebook employees said that suggestions on Moscow’s involvement were too hypothetical. As a result, the 13-page report, released on April 27, was reduced by several pages, and references to Russia were erased completely.

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