Aziz Ansari used in fake Russian ad; Extent of Russian abuse of American social media is frightening

One of the fake ads Russians posted on social media featured actor Aziz Ansari.

AZIZ ANSARI had no idea that his picture was being used in a fake ad posted by Russians attempting to make an impact in the 2016 presidential elections.

Representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter were in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (Oct. 31) to explain to Congress how Russian sources used their respective platforms to try and spread misinformation during last year’s presidential election.

The three companies took questions from U.S. senators, many of whom seemed skeptical of the power and influence that companies like Facebook have over the U.S. electorate.

Included in some of the presentations and questions from members of Senate Intelligence Committee were some of the ads and posts that Russia used to try and stir up social unrest, confuse voters, sow division or dissuade people from voting.

One of the tweets depict a Photoshopped image of actor and comedian Aziz Ansari encouraging voters to submit their vote for president via Twitter, which is not a legitimate way to vote in a U.S. election. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called it “a deliberate misleading of people.” Twitter says it took down this tweet, “and all other tweets like it,” but could not say how many people may have tried to vote via Twitter.

Ansari is one of the creators and the lead actor in Netflix's critical hit Master of None. He could have been used to target Muslim or Asian/American voters who are new to the U.S. electoral system.

It just goes to show, as a word of caution, never post a picture of yourself with a blank white square. It will be Photoshopped every time.

Facebook has turned over some 3,000 ads from Russian sources to Congress, and Twitter found thousands of fake accounts that were later removed. Senators used some of the ads and posts from those fake accounts to hammer home their frustration with the social media platforms of Twitter and Facebook.

The effectiveness of the misinformation and ads could not be determined but it does show the concerted effort made by the Russians to influence U.S. voters, especially those who rely heavily on the Internet for infromation. A few hundred votes one way or the other or not voting could sway a district or a state.

"You must do better to protect the American people and, frankly, all of your users from this kind of manipulation,"Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-NC, told attorneys for the tech giants at a hearing on Wednesday Nov. 1.

"I don't think you get it," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA. "What we're talking about is a cataclysmic change. … What we're talking about is a major foreign power with the sophistication and ability to involve themselves in a [U.S.] presidential election and sow conflict and discord all over this nation."

Feinstein stressed that social media companies bear ultimate responsibility for the material that gets posted on their sites.

"You've created these platforms, and now they are being misused. And you have to be the ones to do something about it -- or we [Congress] will," she said.

Ads sponsored by phony organizations and paid by the Russians may have popped on your social media feeds:

If you would like to view some more fake ads used against the U.S. election system, go to Medium.