Why Facebook, Twitter and Google are suddenly taking Russian meddling very seriously - latimes

At first, the Internet giants downplayed the role they played in Russia’s election meddling.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg famously said it was “crazy” to think fake news influenced the campaign. Twitter said it can’t be the arbiter of truth. And Google only recently revealedRussian agents bought ads to spread disinformation after saying there was no evidence of the sort.

But by Tuesday, when faced with a sobering appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the three Silicon Valley heavyweights took turns underscoring the gravity of the attacks on American democracy and pledged to work harder to prevent it from happening again.

“We take what happened on Facebook very seriously,” said Facebook’s lead attorney, Colin Stretch. “The foreign interference we saw was reprehensible.”

Whether the gestures appeared credible or not will go a long way in determining how much an increasingly impatient Congress will regulate a technology industry that has amassed considerable power.

The three companies came to the hearing — the first of three on Capitol Hill over two days — with data showing how badly they underestimated the scope of Russia’s interference.

Although the instinct in Silicon Valley is to want to police itself, critics question whether the social media companies can be trusted to do so after taking so long to disclose more about the extent their platforms were exploited. - Read More

Why Facebook, Twitter and Google are suddenly taking Russian meddling very seriously

Orange County is ground zero for fundraising in California's most contested races