A pair of bipartisan senators is urging Meta and Alphabet, the parent companies of social media giants Facebook, Instagram and Google, to prevent Russian influence operations on his social media platforms related to Moldova\u2019s parliamentary elections set for Sept. 28.<\/p>\n
The bipartisan letter highlights Russia\u2019s continued threat and evolving tactics in working to sway the outcome of foreign elections, particularly in democratic, former Soviet states, as Moscow continues its war against Ukraine. <\/p>\n
In separate letters to Meta and Alphabets CEO\u2019s,\u00a0Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) acknowledged\u00a0the companies’\u00a0engagement with Moldova\u2019s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) in June and urged continued cooperation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge you to remain engaged with the CEC and devote sufficient resources to prevent Russian-backed disinformation and political financing from accessing your platforms during the pre-election period in Moldova,\u201d the senators wrote. <\/p>\n
\u201cEngagement during the pre-election period is critical to ensure that elections are not just free, but also fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moldova, a small country bordering Romania and Ukraine with a population of some 2.4 million people, is a target for Russian influence operations. Russian forces maintain an occupation of the tiny territory of Transnistria, and the Kremlin holds outsize political influence in the autonomous region of Gagauzia \u2014 both in Moldova. <\/p>\n
The parliamentary elections are highly consequential, as Russia looks to help pro-Kremlin parties gain a majority and upset the country\u2019s trajectory toward joining the European Union. <\/p>\n
Last month, Moldovan civil society group WatchDog.Md published a report<\/a> warning that the Kremlin \u201chas activated an extensive propaganda machinery across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, with the objective of influencing public opinion and shaping the electoral outcome.<\/p>\n Russia sought to sway<\/a> Moldova\u2019s October 2024 presidential elections and kill a referendum in favor of joining the European Union, using propaganda, media manipulation and bribery. Facebook and Instagram, social media networks owned by Meta, were seen as particularly vulnerable to Russian malign activity. <\/p>\n The referendum narrowly came out in favor of EU integration, and the pro-Western presidential candidate Maia Sandu was reelected, with votes from Moldova\u2019s diaspora community heavily influencing the outcome.<\/p>\n Ahead of the October 2024 polls, Meta announced that it had taken down a network on Facebook and Instagram<\/a> targeting Russian-speaking audiences in Moldova. This network promoted criticism of Sandu and pro-EU politicians, boosted pro-Russia parties and posted about offering money and giveaways for follows and likes. The fake accounts referenced exiled oligarch Ilan Shor, who is also sanctioned by the U.S., and his party, which Moldovan authorities charge as being the main drivers of Russia\u2019s influence campaign. <\/p>\n