Google and Twitter face more questions in Washington over Russian interference

Twitter is planning to notify users who may have been exposed to Russian propaganda during the 2016 presidential election, the company's head of public policy said during the Senate Commerce Committee hearing, "Terrorism and Social Media: #IsBigTechDoingEnough?". While the hearing was ostensibly about how social media companies can better combat terrorism, it veered onto other topics, primarily Russia. Committee Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL), for instance, during his initial round of questioning, asked an expert witness to explain how foreign agents might meddle in the upcoming midterms. At the hearing, Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, warned of foreign countries using the kinds of persuasive techniques previously used to recruit Islamist terrorists to manipulate political discourse and mobilize unwitting Americans to attack specific targets.