Facebook restores pages of Russian-linked accounts after adding disclosure
Soapbox's account is critical of the US government's foreign policies and has reached over 30 million viewers through videos purporting a left-wing agenda.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen on stage during a town hall at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California September 27, 2015.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Facebook has restored four pages on its platform which it suspended 10 days earlier, after requesting that they disclose their Russian government-links in the About page, The Hill reported.A CNN investigation that led to the suspension of the accounts showed that the controversial pages are run by Maffick Media, whose CEO holds 49% in the company and is a former presenter of RT, which itself, through a subsidiary owns the majority of the shares in Soapbox, one of the restored pages. RT is funded by the Russian government.Soapbox's account is critical of the US government's foreign policies and has reached over 30 million viewers through videos purporting a left-wing agenda.Facebook told the Hill that they requested full disclosure of Maffick Media's affiliation, something they complied with as the Soapbox's About page now reads "Soapbox' is a political opinion brand of Maffick, which is owned and operated by Anissa Naouai and Ruptly GmbH, a subsidiary of RT."Facebook's move to suspend and restore the pages with appropriate disclosures is part of a campaign by the social media giant to fight foreign governments intruding in local affairs, especially election interference.Facebook told The Hill that they were continuing to work on increasing transparency and assuring the accuracy of information spread on the platform.
