Americans who want to buy advertising space on Facebook for politically-oriented messages can now expect an old-fashioned postcard on the doormat to confirm that they really live in the US.
In this way, the tech giant wants to prevent American elections from being influenced from abroad. The postcard contains a code that the applicant of the advertising space must enter on Facebook, in order to complete the application.
Facebook will send the postcards for applications for advertisements that mention candidates for national elections, such as the Congressional elections held in November. For instance, in local elections, verification according to Facebook is not necessary.
Indictment
The announcement of Facebook comes shortly after the accusation of Robert Mueller against thirteen Russians and three Russian companies. Mueller is the special prosecutor who is investigating Russian interference in the runup to the 2016 US presidential election.
The accused Russians are suspected of a large-scale operation to influence the elections. Twelve of the thirteen Russians work for an internet company from St. Petersburg. The indictment states that Russian suspects had contact with the Donald Trump team.
