Twitter drops all ads from Russia Today and Sputnik, citing 2016 U.S. election interference

Update: RT says Twitter actually pushed it to purchase a large number of ads during the 2016 U.S. election, but the channel turned down the offer. On October 26, RT published an article stating that Twitter's actions “compel us to reveal the details of the 2016 negotiations during which Twitter representatives pitched to RT a large-sum advertising proposal.” The first meetings in these negotiations reportedly took place in April 2016, involving “senior marketing and news partnerships managers from Twitter.” The main idea RT says Twitter pitched was for the network to “take a stand.” RT says it eventually declined the offer, deciding that the ads were too expensive.

In a statement published on Thursday, October 26, Twitter announced that it is “off-boarding” all advertising from accounts owned by RT and Sputnik, the two Russian-government-controlled media outlets accused by the American intelligence community of trying to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Twitter cited its own “retrospective work” and “the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that both RT and Sputnik attempted to interfere with the election on behalf of the Russian government.”

“We did not come to this decision lightly, and are taking this step now as part of our ongoing commitment to help protect the integrity of the user experience on Twitter,” the company said in a press release.

Twitter says it will also donate $1.9 million (the amount of money the company earned from RT global advertising since it became an advertiser in 2011) to “support external research into the use of Twitter in civic engagement and elections, including use of malicious automation and misinformation, with an initial focus on elections and automation.”