Facebook's Sandberg Vows Action Following Reports of Russian Interference

By Dustin Volz

WASHINGTON -- Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said Tuesday the company needed to do more to protect its users from disinformation efforts, after researchers found Russian trolls attempted to suppress African-American voter turnout during the 2016 election.

"Facebook is committed to working with leading U.S. civil rights organizations to strengthen and advance civil rights on our service," Ms. Sandberg wrote on her own Facebook page Tuesday morning. "They've raised a number of important concerns, and I'm grateful for their candor and guidance. We know that we need to do more: to listen, look deeper and take action to respect fundamental rights."

On Monday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said it was returning a recent donation from Facebook following the release of two reports on Russian interference in the 2016 election, commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Those studies found that Russian trolls aimed social media posts at black voters, seeking to stoke racial tensions and suppress turnout among African-Americans, who tend to vote Democratic.

The NAACP, one of the oldest U.S. civil-rights organizations, has criticized the use of targeting on the social media giant, the "utilization of Facebook for propaganda promoting disingenuous portrayals of the African American community," and more.

The group has called for a one-week boycott of Facebook and additional congressional investigations.

Ms. Sandberg, who has been under scrutiny in recent weeks for her role managing Facebook's response to Russia's election interference in 2016, acknowledged the reports' findings. She highlighted Facebook's release Tuesday of initial findings of a civil-rights audit led by Laura Murphy, a former legislative director at the American Civil Liberties Union, that highlighted issues related to ad-targeting of minority groups, a lack of diversity at Facebook and voter suppression.

"We take this incredibly seriously, as demonstrated by the investments we've made in safety and security," Ms. Sandberg said. "The civil rights audit is deeply important to me, and it's one of my top priorities for 2019. I'm committed to overseeing its progress and making sure that it is a well-resourced, cross-company effort."

Write to Dustin Volz at dustin.volz@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 18, 2018 10:24 ET (15:24 GMT)

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