Google Finds Accounts Connected to Russia Bought Election Ads<br />Google found a separate $53,000 worth of ads with political material<br />that were purchased from Russian internet addresses, building addresses or with Russian currency.<br />Using accounts believed to be connected to the Russian government, the agents purchased $4,700 worth of search ads<br />and more traditional display ads, according to a person familiar with the company’s inquiry who was not allowed to speak about it publicly.<br />It is not clear whether any of those were connected to the Russian government, and they may have been purchased by Russian citizens, the person said.<br />The findings from an internal inquiry draw Google further into the growing investigation of how social networks<br />and technology services were manipulated by the Russian government to spread misinformation and sow division during the 2016 election.<br />The 2016 presidential election was the first time that Google allowed targeting by political leanings<br />and it allowed just two categories — left-leaning and right-leaning
