GOP chairman presses social media companies over Russian energy ads

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee sent follow-up letters to social media companies citing an investigation into Russia’s use of their platforms to manipulate the energy market and urging cooperation.

“Congress has an obligation to bring transparency to social media when their content impacts important areas of public policy,” wrote Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) in a letter dated Tuesday. 

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The letter comes after Buzzfeed last week reported that the Russian campaign to destabilize the United States included a fake Native American advocacy account on Instagram that protested the Dakota Access Pipeline.

That account, @Native_Americans_United, appears to have served the same believed function as the fake Tennessee GOP Twitter account and “Blacktivist” Facebook page. By posting belligerent comments advocating a political stance, the posts aimed to inflame both sides of an issue and create disorder. 

Smith has been pushing for more information on Russian ads on energy issues like the pipeline.

“This recent revelation confirms the Committee’s suspicion: Russia has exploited American social media platforms in an effort to influence the U.S. energy market,” Smith wrote about the BuzzFeed story. 

The committee sent an initial request to Facebook, Twitter and Google-parent Alphabet on Sept. 26 to provide information on Russia’s social media influence in the energy marketplace. 

The three companies sent representatives to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary committee about Russian use of social media to influence the 2016 election. The companies will also testify Wednesday before both the House and Senate Intelligence committees.