facebook employee
Tech Giant Facebook is poised to construct a web page to let users see which Russian propaganda accounts they have liked or followed. The corresponding statement was made by Facebook on Wednesday.

According to the statement the propaganda came from a Russian organization called 'Internet Research Agency' which promoted pro-Moscow content under fake social media accounts.

The tool will be available by the end of the year as part of the company's attempt to protect the platform and its users from those who try to undermine US democracy.

Meanwhile, the move has been welcomed by US lawmakers as a positive step. Facebook's announcement comes as US law enforcers have suggested that Facebook might have an obligation to notify people who accessed deceptive foreign government material.

We discussed the issue with Mr. Joe Quinn, internet essayist, researcher, author.


Excerpts
Sputnik: Who exactly could determine whether this information is coming from Russia?
Joe Quinn: Facebook will identify something that comes from Russia. Any information [critical] of the US government will be determined as Russian propaganda, Russian lies, whatever, even though you can't define that it came from a Russian IP address. [...] The American government is doing a lot of things that are not in the best interest of the American people and it would rather that there is no one who would highlight this information to the general public. They are actually attempting to smear the truth in their effort to control all information.
Sputnik: Could this be called an attempt to manipulate public opinion, and suppress opposing views?
Joe Quinn: Absolutely yes! [This is meant] to deny people access to accurate information. Fifty percent of the war that is now being fought against Russia is an information war. It is extremely important for the US government to control information, but this is actually making people push back and [look for alternative sources of information] and learn what's actually happening in the world.
Sputnik: Do you think this witch-hunt against Russia is ever going to end?
Joe Quinn: America needs an enemy. I still think that at some point [this witch-hunt] will end but some major changes have to happen in America for this to end because many in America are seriously pushing against Russia in an act of desperation on their part. People need to realize that this is hysteria, that these people are desperate, and have lost their minds. It would take some major economic shift in America, or a political one away from it, to make America come to its senses and stop this nonsense.