Facebook terminated its contract with Definers Public Affairs following a bombshell New York Times investigation that detailed how Facebook hired the Republican opposition researcher to counter criticism of its role in spreading Russian misinformation and exposed its users to political ad targeting firm Cambridge Analytica. The Times says Facebook staff were aware in spring 2016, more than a year before making the disclosures public, that Russian hackers used the platform to interfere with the 2016 presidential election and that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg decided to publicly downplay concerns about interference even as Facebook staff uncovered the extent of the operation……………..