As part of its inquiry into fake news
YouTube has found no evidence of Russian hand in the 2016 Brexit referendum, a senior executive told a British parliamentary committee conducting an inquiry into fake news.
As part of its inquiry, Britain’s Digital, Media, Culture and Sport Committee is taking evidence from internet companies like YouTube, Facebook, Google and Twitter.
Juniper Downs, YouTube’s global head of public policy, told the committee today that the company found “no evidence of Russian interference in the Brexit referendum”.
She further told the committee: “Absolutely we are happy to co-operate with the UK Government’s investigations into whether there was any interference in elections in the UK. We have conducted a thorough investigation around the Brexit referendum and found no evidence of interference.
“We looked at all advertisements with any connection to Russia and we found no evidence of our services being used to interfere in the Brexit referendum and we are happy to co-operate with any further efforts.”
Last year, Damian Collins, the chair of the digital, culture, media and sport committee, had written to Facebook boss, Mark Zuckerberg, after suspicions that Russian “actors” used the platform to interfere in British politics. This was following the news that the tech company had found ads linked to fake accounts, likely run from Russia, influencing the US election.
Leave a Comment