FBI trolls Russian embassy with geotargeted ads for disgruntled spies

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

The FBI's latest counterintelligence operation against Russia is hardly secretive-you just have to be standing in the right place.

In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the FBI stepped up its recruiting efforts in the US, hoping to attract Russians who are dissatisfied or disillusioned with the war. People standing in close proximity to the Russian embassy in Washington, DC, can see the ads, which appear in Russian, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

One ad appeared in a Washington Post reporter's Facebook feed when he was standing on the sidewalk next to the embassy's walls on Wisconsin Avenue NW, but none appeared in his feed when he crossed the street.

Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments