Twitter's director of public policy, Carlos Monje, said his company is working to identify and inform individual users who may have been exposed to accounts of the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency. | Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images Twitter to inform users of content they saw from Russian trolls

Twitter said Wednesday it plans to inform users who had contact with Russian internet trolls that spread misinformation during the 2016 election.

In response to a question from Sen. Richard Blumenthal at a Commerce Committee hearing, Twitter's director of public policy, Carlos Monje, said his company is working to identify and inform individual users who may have been exposed to accounts of the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency.


"We will be rolling out our response shortly," Monje said.

Facebook made a similar announcement in November 2017, saying it would create a portal to allow users to learn of any Facebook or Instagram contact they may have had with Russian internet trolls between January 2015 and August 2017.

Intelligence experts, congressional investigators and others have concluded that Russian elements exploited Twitter and Facebook to distribute propaganda and misinformation during the 2016 campaign — much of it focused on damaging the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

Blumenthal said he was disappointed that Google, in answer to written questions he sent the company, said the nature of its platform made it difficult to know who has viewed its content.