Russian trolls used Reddit and Tumblr, too

Two more tech companies are about to face questions from Congress.
 By 
Karissa Bell
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Facebook, Twitter, and Google aren't the only companies to face questions from lawmakers about the role their platforms played in spreading disinformation during the presidential election.

Reddit and Tumblr are now being dragged into the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation, according to The Washington Post. The news comes just days after The Daily Beast found evidence the Internet Research Agency -- the Russia-backed "troll farm" that weaponized social media to great effect during the election -- also had a sizable presence on Reddit and Tumblr.

Now, Tumblr is set to meet with Congressional staffers "soon," according to The Washington Post's unnamed source, who is reportedly close to the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Tumblr didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.)

As for Reddit, Congress is reportedly awaiting more information from the company. But on Monday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman revealed the company had already shut down "a few hundred" accounts that promoted Russian propaganda on the site.

But he said the problem of propaganda on Reddit can't be fixed just by shutting down a few suspicious accounts. He noted that Russian-backed propaganda also spread on the site organically.

"The Twitter account @TEN_GOP is now known to be a Russian agent. @TEN_GOP’s Tweets were amplified by thousands of Reddit users, and sadly, from everything we can tell, these users are mostly American, and appear to be unwittingly promoting Russian propaganda," he wrote.

"I believe the biggest risk we face as Americans is our own ability to discern reality from nonsense, and this is a burden we all bear."

Topics Reddit

Mashable Image
Karissa Bell

Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Is Reddit down? The Tuesday Reddit outage, explained.
illustration showing reddit logo appearing on a laptop screen

Digg is back from the grave (again) and taking on Reddit: How to try the Digg beta
Digg relaunch


Reddit addresses bot problems, ID verification
Reddit logo

Grammarly removes AI feature which used real authors' identities, faces class action lawsuit
The Grammarly logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen.

More in Tech

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!