According to the CNN, the FBI has ran at least three ads on Facebook, to target and recruit Russian spies, as well as those who know about their work.
The first ad featured a stock photo of a young woman at her graduation day with her family, with a Russian text overlaid that reads, "For your future, for the future of your family." Another ad showed a photo of a chess set, with Russian text that translates to, "Isn't it time for you to make your move?" Another ad was a drawing of a man walking over a bridge, with a Russian caption that reads, "Time to draw bridges."
Some of the Russian text in the ads were "awkwardly phrased or contains typos", indicating that the ads may not have been written by a native Russian speaker.
The FBI did not confirm any details about the ad campaign, or about how many people saw the ads, or if anyone responded to them. But the ads however, which were run from the FBI's verified Facebook page, are publicly viewable through a Facebook tool that tracks active advertising campaigns on the platform.
The ads direct to a page on the FBI Washington DC field office's website. The page has details explained in both English and Russian, saying about the counter-intelligence team and the address of the FBI field office in the city.
The FBI's counterintelligence team is tasked with "the detection, identification, and neutralization of hostile foreign intelligence activities," reads the page the FBI Facebook ads direct to. "The FBI obtains the best intelligence to combat this threat through information provided by the public. If you have information that can help the FBI fulfill this mission, visit us in person."
According to Alan E. Kohler Jr., special agent in charge of the Washington field office's counterintelligence division:
"The FBI uses a variety of means to gather information, including the use of sources. The FBI will use all legal means available to locate individuals with information that can help protect the United States from threats to our national security."
"Russia has long been a counterintelligence threat to the U.S., and the FBI will continue to adapt our investigative and outreach techniques to counter the threat."
It's not unusual for government agencies to use the internet and social media networks to gather intelligence and make recruitment.
"The thing with Russian spies is 99 percent of them are walk-ins, and these people make the decision on their own completely," said Bob Baer, a former CIA agent, referring that foreign agents can show up in the U.S. government locations and work for the U.S..
"Putting it out there and getting in this milieu and seeding the idea of volunteering for the FBI is a good idea," Baer added.
Previously, Russia has used Facebook against the U.S. back in 2016. At that time, GRU, Russian military intelligence, had a page that publicized and distributed hacked emails tied to the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Working with people on the internet, Kremlin-linked online groups posed themselves as American activists, running Facebook Pages and bought Facebook ads to target Americans. This effort was to create divisions in the country, stated the the U.S. Department of Justice.
Those who were had ties with both GRU and internet activists, were indicted as part of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
