Way back in 2016, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg famously dismissed as "pretty crazy" the notion that Russian networks were spreading divisive messages to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. Much later, he had to admit the platform was a conduit for fake election news.

In the five years since, Facebook and other social media companies have awakened to the threat that influence operations (IOs) pose to their platforms. Most now have dedicated teams to protect their platforms from such manipulation; some are working together; and all want to work with government, academics and civil society groups.