Transcript for Why social media networks are under scrutiny over election interference

Good afternoon I'm Aaron hitters he here at ABC news headquarters in new York and by now. You have heard that FaceBook has removed 32 fake pages and accounts. That are part about coordinated. Politically subversive campaign. Potentially meant to mess with the mid term elections now just mean months away so we want to get in today. To house social media. Is influencing. Our democracy and to do that we have a great panel of experts want to begin with ABC's senior business and technology correspondent Rebecca Jarvis. Who's here with us in New York Rebecca these accounts. Had rather. Provocative names in some cases with due. The resisters was one of the names so it's. Amazing that these accounts lasted for the extent to tie that they number of them were created. In march of 2017. They continuously. Were developed until May of this year. They put out a number of posts no overnight 500 poster out over a 150 ads were followed by 290000. People in one of the reasons. That we learned. That these accounts are being taken down by FaceBook is that one of the accounts was advertising an event. For next week in Washington DC and very real people had responded to. The event saying I will be either 600 people respondents said they'd be they're 2600 others were following that account Matta bats real people real people and real event that's right and and FaceBook has been reaching out of the last 24 hours to people to let them know. What really happens. That this was being promoted by Oakland patrols exactly fake accounts. Fake accounts that FaceBook says on this night yeah so FaceBook. Especially because of the fact that these were who wore dated attack that's what went FaceBook believes that this wasn't just. One account all thirty to you. Bespoke pages and accounts were working in concert with each other to do something out what that something is you talked about it at the beginning. Wasn't meddling or is it attempted meddling in the mid term elections in November. There's a suspicion that yes that very likely given the timing of the creation it counts. Has to do with why that they were created. At this point FaceBook is still in the investigative phase and they have been in an investigative phase throughout the platform. For months now released since the Cambridge a political scandal came to light since Mark Zuckerberg the CEO and founder was on Capitol Hill. Earlier this year was called on by lawmakers to do more you're hearing more those calls it. To that point let's turn to Mike muse are good friend from might be shown serious sex them yeah FaceBook has been. Under the gun as Rebecca suggests for months over this they have why. Do we want FaceBook to be. So on the ball when it comes to that stuff. They just wanted when the biggest tech companies that in Natalie FaceBook is one of those platforms allows information flow so seamlessly. As an exchange right you can share it's on my answer Graham it's very visual basic Islamic Twitter where is very short amount of words has been active type is that death and on FaceBook as an opportunity. To do for long conversations full La opinion pieces if you and everyone is almost a commentator on FaceBook right and so what's it. Isn't about his conversation is that we kind of talk about face the effort is Ian Wright like this other thing if you will. But we always forget about with art this intelligence is quality human being associated that is there actually actually input the data and actually has it and put an article ex as a sign. For a profile if you will ends I think the larger question is. Do we just put the blame on FaceBook or do we begin to share the blame with I don't like where had that conversation right now with acts of the users of FaceBook right in terms of will be critically when we share the link are looking at where that link is from. Are we actually knowing isn't verified source or is it just. Coffee mugs that come yet caught him at that time is talking about a range nuclear rights are like babies in the basket will be further. But then artists who do we shift the blame the congress into our government right in terms up. With our government doing to provide enough sanctions. In order punish their rations or wherever the bad actors are differing with the elections because. If they're bad actor and athlete as a consequence for me thank you for profile pais Y Witten purple prop eight and so we forget the human element that has to start. With arms and talented that Trace algorithm can aggregate obvious sources. And to be clear Rebecca even though FaceBook sort of gesture to in the general direction of Russia they didn't pointed decisive finger. At Russia for these 32 fake account. Yeah they said their hour. Things that look similar to what they sell with Russian hiring a influence in the 2016 election because there was that influence on FaceBook ban they said there were similarities and connections but at this point. There are no Russian IP addresses associated. With these particular caps they went to great links to concealed. They aren't even more so when Alice some interesting point that FaceBook made is that. The bad actors are getting better and batter that they are a determined. Well funded. And eight constantly changing their tactics bonds which is what makes it more complicated business Facebook's argument that makes it far more complicated. For FaceBook to do anything but your point about congress. I mean if you look back at the questions that FaceBook fielded when they were on the hill earlier this here. It doesn't really feel like congress has really gotten its head around this question you are. And that's it. Good might. But that's the danger of it when you're asking that we saw congress and dragon Mark Zuckerberg and hearings and we saw have a question they're asking. They don't even have a grass and just that site itself or how the site operates as business model. And so do we really want the congress to be able to regulate such a large take now the company that deals with AI machinery and big data but to Rebecca to your pointers hardly getting more advanced and sophisticated. During the in this every 2016. They were able to funded through bitcoin through crypto currency there now so sophisticated now they're actually using real transactions from Canada. And from the United States and are also becoming more sophisticated. Understand the new lines of our political discourse right in terms the two things I was coming out who has what anti white supremacy. And also to the anti ice movement if you will and so again the human being is there that passed it and that this right and it has understand. How do we want to disrupt the narrative hobby when disrupt the conversation and and I think we have to talk about that too is well. Let's bring in ABC's just an official who's with us from Washington to get a view. On how congress is channeling this because just today Justin. The senate said no to funding programs that could potentially had some of this off. Right it was sort of a amazing. Vote because they were really only voting on 250. Million dollars to. Help in state elections security we're talking about a four trillion dollar government budget they say that's a lot in this town but to a 59 hours that it's a drop in the bucket. And it didn't go through it didn't happen. It's a tough spot I mean in many ways as difficult as you guys were saying for congress to regulate. They spoke would we want congress regulating ABC and that any it's like. There's big debates there about how what mechanism that would take on on and won first of all to know how to stop it you've got to know who's doing it. Com and in this case. As you mentioned they haven't. And decidedly pendant on Russia but. A lot of the hallmarks of Russia are all over this and are some senators yesterday up on Capitol Hill are saying they have great confidence that Russia is behind us again. And when you're looking at government leadership to stop and prevent Russia from doing this all eyes go to the president just two weeks ago. He was standing next Russians president Vladimir Putin. Saying he had listened to his strong and powerful denial. And that he doesn't know why this would be Russia that was elect doing election meddling so. You know win win that's the message from the top and of course he he walked that back the next David he's in the things he said and he has equipment catered on this issue many times. When that's that the message from the leadership it becomes although much harder to get that vote kind of vote to pass today and it just failed by slim margin. State and yet there is some evidence that Russia was behind meddling in 2016 and continued to do it up until now and in fact. Our partners at 538 cut a treasure trove. Of information in that regard so I want to bring in Oliver rader. From 538 who's with us now via Skype and an Oliver you had a look at three million tweets. Put together by the Internet research agency this Russia propaganda arm. That the special counsel Robert Mueller accused of interfering in the 2016 election would decline. Yet that's exactly right. Says the Internet research agency was a defendant and a Muller indictment. And Twitter actually released. And a list of handles irate connected Russian trolls to congress. So starting with that list about 3000. Troll Twitter handles. Researchers. Have been able to gather every single troll treat. From about the middle of 2000 pits team. Until today and two researchers at Clemson University. Partnered with us at 538 and we are able to make about three Noory in. Troll tweets. Public. And you can find our story there you can download. The data and what we're really hoping we have some kind of early results and things we've learned. But what we're really hoping is a sort for sort of citizens are and it's the sort of crowd source. Analysis of these millions and millions of trees to kind of figure out exactly. What happened and what coal and may have taken on on our country. So was this a blueprint these trolls that and these tweets is this how they were able to to meddle what what what were you able to. To to learn from the tweet. Yes the most striking facts that kind of emerges pretty quickly from all this data is just how systematic. This troll campaign was and they use basically very sophisticated division of labor. So just like you might divide say animals and to mammals and reptiles that setter you can divide trolls. In to different species so the Internet research agency appeared to use about five types of these trolls. Dissident meat of their project is what's called the right troll. Just sort of behaves like an every day kind of make America great again. Republican except all they do is tweet about politics all day so that in the right troll is the most common thing we observed in this state and there's also the left troll. It usually supportive Bernie Sanders before the 2016. Election express their injuries and toward Hillary Clinton and all with the apparent goal dividing the Democratic Party and suppressing. Voter turnout. And there's a handful of others those of the most common and occasionally they'll spread. Fixed news about and catastrophic event say Salmonella contaminated turkeys before Thanksgiving. Or a chemical spill all completely made up and this is the type patrol. Called a fear monger. And they well served. And deploy these trolls at different times in response to different news events focused on different American localities. And it's it's a relentless systematic. Onslaught and and one point I want him make sure to make is this is not just. An election thing that there were more tweets from these breast controls in the year after. The election than there were in the year before the election. Fascinating. Oliver radars with our partners at 538. So Justin official in Washington. Given that we now know what the the trolls were doing and how they were doing it. And why is congress not terribly interested in doing anything about it. While I don't know if they're they're not terribly ish and they have bills they're just not they're not getting it done which is not really uncommon for this congress I would just. Point out one thing about what you guys were just talking about how there are real life impacts to these conspiracies on line. Last night at that rally in tempo with present from. You may have noticed a lot of the members and audience holding up these huge signs that's a actually call out to hew and on which is and work handfuls of with the science. Palm. That's a caller to a really extremist sort of vitriolic. Oh conspiracy theorist. That comes up what's really. Evil things about. A pedophilia ring. Started by the Obama administration. That the president is secretly passed to unravel. Om and it sounds crazy saying it out loud but that's what it's about. And you saw in your not so you're not just seeing it on what you are seeing people at these rallies. Who come to promote that kind of stuff. And you know look at that their target on both sides. Democratic. Asides. Republican side I mean one of the pages was about was all about promoting. Abolish ice and it is about creating division. But we are seeing these things play out in real life and that the conspiracy which is talking about. Actually. We evolves out of that pizza gave. Conspiracy which ended up in any real life shooting at a pizza parlor in Washington DC. Important to say Mike that Mike muse would serious accident here with us that. These have real life consequences as Justin. Says so is the onus then on on us to figure out what's being amplified that would ordinarily stay at the margins of war. Or what. That's a great question and take kind of combine its 2.2 attests in this thing too as well. Sentiment that senator Lindsey Graham yes date set for the first time that we need to go on offense. Vs defense and he's an issue a series of sanctions like no other and I think now congress is really start to understand. The weight of this and that just isn't in mid term election this isn't elections. Doesn't sixteen. But they are now finding sophisticated ways to engage in our everyday political discourse now when it comes the responsibility to question that you're asking right now is. Yes onus is on the use or for us to be more mindful of it. But we have to be careful how we pushed back on base but so hard that we don't infringe on freedom of speech right because what's infusing about face but with antibodies agnostic companies that comes and I. That we don't over police it is because to me I. Is how people of color remarks as communities heavily with a -- messaging and things are affecting that those communities of importance and it's through an I in this through source Meehan technology that these stories have been able to rise that where you see these trending passed tax. That's allow for action to take place in the political discourse in so. One begins at about censorship we have be mindful what we want to have centers and we don't says we talk about ways to circumvent the system up a bad actors if you will we have to be mindful of how do we not go too far with censorship. Rebecca where does that leave us with the technology companies like I think is that conversation that might brings up happens that's part of the difficulty in the complexity because ultimately you have people. Deciding what should and shouldn't be out there. For 2.2 billion FaceBook users that's. A lot of people around the world. I guess my biggest question is do we hit a moment weird the consumer in the user. Decides. You know what I don't believe in this anymore I've heard enough of these conspiracy theories I feel like I'm getting misled so I'm less interested. In participating. In in whatever this is on the platform and I also think it again it's not just about politics. This can be sell you something whatever that something has it could be a product that you ultimately Bottke. As a consumer because you believe in the claims that are being made and perpetrated in perpetuated on the platform. But we champion that. During the Arab Spring say when social media and life and right movement to topple what was by and large considered a dictatorship. But now we seen the others. The other side there's no such thing as a technology that is under percent or there. That I talked it apple CEO Tim Cook about this idea that. When you go to create technology when the creators of technology go to Crete at of course they're aiming towards the good the beneficial side torment them. Let's let's say that. But ultimately. People use technology. And people come in many stripes and shapes and come from many different places. And once that technology is in the hands of people very bad things can happen with that as well. Let me get a final thought from all of a radar when our partners at 538 as. People start to dig more and more into these tweets that you've collected these three million troll sweets what are they going to. To find. Well I I think the biggest by far the biggest open question is did these tweets and did this trolling have an effect on the 2006 seeing election. And no one knows the election was fairly close and a number of key states. And I think maybe there are some entrepreneurial. Data scientists out there who can. Get us closer to an answer to that question I think that's one thing. And another thing and and we have amazing readers at 538 who have party started to dig incidents but Ken Ken this data that we have helped. Social network like Twitter or FaceBook identify. These trolls there's advanced language processing you can do for example also I think those of the two biggest things but I think the most interesting things that people find will be things that I haven't even thought of yet. We'll searchers see Oliver thanks very much Oliver radar with our partners here 538 and a final thoughts from ABC's just an official witness from from Washington on. Maybe the policy of all of this going forward Justin. The policy. Keep in mind is that this information is here to stay it's not going away it's going to be something. That we see for the rest of our lifetimes and certain other politics there was a hearing on. In the Senate Intelligence Committee. This morning's. Here's some of the figures that they gave us. From social media experts and cyber experts we learned today that seven authoritarian countries have dedicated budgets for disinformation campaigns. Russia spent 200 million dollars targeting US election in 2016. All indications from the intelligence community. Today is that they continue to do that they are undeterred. By the sanctions and you know it's unclear if if it. More sanctions will stop them the president thinks. And hopes that creating a relationship with gluten is clearly. His political strategy. And and and that's and and that that's it. Hopefully it works but that this is I and I think this is one of the reasons you saw that summit. Where happily that he thinks that. Making that relationship took with gluten is the answer but the the bottom line is this information is here's that. ABC's Justin specialists from Washington DC Mike is here with us in New York from serious accident final thought from you off. Yet just two quick things one as we can't talk about technology in this and I've heard some individuals on the news talk about stopping it saying on FaceBook right with I think is as a wild idea. I think we have to understand technology ourselves right into really understand that. Machine learning that machines are learning from themselves so once in this hour rhythm is and put it. The machine can't see learns from that says a point as humans don't even know what the machines are learning. Technology cannot be stop went to get started. So the mock the idea that we have to shut it now returned by print on hold. Is counter to what the idea of tech Nazi actually years. I think is a process are we thinking too hard about it is it just as simple as may be losing about. I was caught his hygiene right city more verification process or to create a profile page derisively tunes that her retirement threes that their vacation. I know maybe in convene a beginning but if that is a simple solution navigate bingo haven't that this. Overall totality of like pausing FaceBook right they. That's is something we have to begin to understand more about. AI big data and machine learning and how that impact our daily lives I think we haven't had enough conversation as Americans about that in terms that information. And ABC's Rebecca Jarvis her chief business and technology correspondent get the last word. I say be skeptical don't believe everything that you read and today it's Russia tomorrow who knows who it could be but no question that social media is influencing our democracy sometimes for good. Sometimes for bad our conversation continues. Thank you for watching ABC news live and Aaron guitarist in New York.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.