Russian trolls reached 126 million Americans via Facebook—almost the population of Russia

Facebook accounts linked to Russia had a far greater reach than what was previously known, reaching nearly half the U.S. population.

Russia-linked Facebook accounts reached as many as 126 million users, according to prepared testimony from General Counsel Colin Stretch. Stretch's disclosure comes before a Congressional hearing on Russia's use of Facebook and other social media platforms during the election. 

In prepared remarks, Stretch, said the company's "best guess" was that as many as 126 million people saw posts linked to Russia-backed accounts, though he attempted to downplay the significance of that number saying that it represented only a fraction of all News Feed posts. Read more...