Facebook is gearing up to ward off Russian interference on its social media platform during the midterm elections this November, and has sought help from law enforcement to do it.
The specifics of the May meeting between the leaders of the tech industry and officials from the Department of Homeland Security and FBI were revealed in a report published Tuesday by the Washington Post.
Sources say many companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Twitter were included in the meeting held at Facebook HQ Menlo Park in California.
Though Facebook has yet to find any serious interference in the current election cycle from the agencies guilty of social media meddling in 2016, the giant company was burnt just enough that year to warrant what amounted to a cry for help from the private tech sector to the government.
The Journal reported that Facebook vouchsafed its discovery of Russian ads on the site back in 2017 and consequently sparked up conversations with the law, including special counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election.
The report also revealed that no classified material was imparted at the meeting, but, rather, ideas on what ought to be done about the issue and what plans are already in place to meet the Russian meddling problem head-on.
“We’re full speed ahead,” undersecretary of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate, Christopher C. Krebs told the Post of the meeting. “And the good news is the state and local election officials take this very seriously. They’re very much engaged.”
