A spokesperson from Twitter said the social media company will speak with staff from the Senate Intelligence Committee next week as part of the panel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Company representatives will meet with senators on Wednesday to discuss the spread of false and misleading information on the social media site, as well as bot accounts that are on the platform.
“Twitter engages with governments around the world on public policy issues of importance and of interest to policymakers. We are cooperating with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in its inquiry into the 2016 election and will meet with committee staff next week,” a Twitter spokesperson told Wired. “Twitter deeply respects the integrity of the election process, a cornerstone of democracies, and will continue to strengthen our platform against bots and other forms of manipulation that violate our Terms of Service.”
Both Twitter and Facebook have come under fire for the role they played in spreading fake news during the 2016 campaign as part of Russia’s attempt to interfere in the election. This month, Facebook revealed in a blog post it identified 470 fake accounts tied to a Russian “troll farm” that spent $100,000 on at least 3,000 ads. The ads were purchased from June 2015 to May 2017.
Facebook shared its findings with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the federal investigation into Russian meddling.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said Tuesday he anticipates Facebook, like Twitter, will testify before the committee as well.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee’s top Democrat, suggested Wednesday in an interview on CNN that Twitter would be appearing before the committee.
