This study additionally identified groups of individuals who would actively create false accounts and "shape public opinion about particular policies".

[9] DiResta has previously written that social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, are used as "useful testing grounds for bad actors".

Specifically, she wrote that foreign governments, such as Russia, will pilot memes and false stories online to see what can become popular and sway public opinion.

[12] This report further stated that Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet's algorithms were intentionally manipulated in a multi-year effort by the Internet Research Agency, directed by the Russian government, and had successfully created false personas that spread misinformation to an estimated hundreds of thousands of Americans.

[15][16] She has criticized Mark Zuckerberg's controlling share of Meta and Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, calling for greater transparency and accountability for these sites.