FAKE FACEBOOK AD CLAIMING LINDSEY GRAHAM BACKS THE GREEN NEW DEAL IS ACTUALLY A TEST FOR ZUCKERBERG

BY RAMSEY TOUCHBERRY ON 10/25/19 AT 4:48 PM EDT

Lindsey Graham is a close ally to President Donald Trump and a staunch conservative from South Carolina.

That's why it may seem odd to see a Facebook ad claim the prominent Republican has not only endorsed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-NY) ambitious climate change initiative, but that he's also rallying his GOP colleagues to do the same.

That statement of support, however, is fake. It's the product of splicing together video to make it appear as truth, and it's by design in order to test one of the world's largest social media platforms.

"People believe it, that's what's just shocking. A lot of people think it's real, and that's what frightens me," Adriel Hampton, the man behind the video, told Newsweek. "That's what I think is problematic, and I think that Congress needs to take it incredibly seriously."

Hampton, who's the creative director at the digital strategy and advertising firm Adriel Hampton Group, had the video created after Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear to lawmakers this week that his company does not—and will not—fact-check political ads, even if they contain false information. Zuckerberg said the revenue from political ads was too minuscule to justify the controversy that's arisen, adding that it's "important that people can see for themselves what politicians are saying."

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