Social networking site, Facebook has revealed that advertisements created by Russian operatives during last year’s US presidential election were viewed by over 126 million users.
US Congress has ordered appearances from the social networking site and other major tech firms as part of an investigation into Russian interference in last year’s vote, in which Donald Trump triumphed over Hillary Clinton.
The figure is set to be cited by counsel for the company Colin Stretch at a Senate hearing later today, while executives from Twitter and Google have also been called to give evidence.
Around 80,000 posts were produced in the run-up to the presidential election, in which the focus was on divisive social and political messages.
Kremlin officials have denied that the country attempted to sway the result of the election, despite conclusions from US intelligence agencies to the contrary.
“These actions run counter to Facebook’s mission of building community and everything we stand for,” wrote Stretch in a statement ahead of the hearing..
“And we are determined to do everything we can to address this new threat.”
The news arrives after a major development in FBI special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian involvement in the election, in which former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort faces charges for money laundering.
