There has been quite the speculation about Russian ads playing a role in the United States presidential polls last year. Sources have reported that a large number of Russian-linked ads were specifically aimed at the US states of Michigan and Wisconsin. The news has created waves as these two states played a crucial role in Donald Trump’s coming to power last year.
According to reports, some of the Russia ads were designed in such a way that they target specific groups. The ads targeted some key demographic groups that voted in a big way to bring Donald Trump to power. The ads contained some objectionable content including anti-Muslim messages that targeted specific groups. So far it was unclear as to which sections that ads targeted. But over the last year or so, it became clear that the ads were aimed at specific regions of the country to sway public opinion.
The ads targeted Michigan where the presidential poll was closest in the country. Trump narrowly defeated Hillary Clinton by 10,700 votes from 4.8 million ballots cast. The story was same in Wisconsin where Trump won by a tight margin of 22,700 votes. The investigators looked into the possibility of Russian ads getting any help from the Trump camp to target these ads to a specific region or group. The officials at White House haven’t made any comments and called the whole Russian ads saga as nothing but a hoax.
Earlier in the year, Facebook admitted that about one fourth out of the 3,000 Russian ads were aimed at a specific region and demography in the country. Though the social media giant did not comment as which location were specific, it, however, did confirm that the ads were running since 2015. The ads allegedly sponsored by Russian sources came in the eyes of over 10 million people. The US authorities now fear that Facebook ads could again be used as powerful tool to sway people during the upcoming 2018 midterms. The officials at White House are still assessing to identify the exact locations where the ads were targeted.
A source close to the whole matter said that some of the ads directly targeted the Muslims. Ads carried anti-Muslim messages in an attempt to lure voters who are against Muslims. This could be seen as a way of support to Trump’s offensive stance against Muslims and immigrations. Some of the ads even suggested support for Hilary Clinton. This could be a way to instigate pro-Trump supporters against Hillary.
Carolyn is a technology graduate and loves to write about anything related to technology as well as writes in others sectors. Carolyn is a professional writer with over 7 years of experience. Initially starting off as a programmer, Carolyn decided to combine her knowledge about technology and writing and that’s how she joined Reporter Expert.