Facebook drops firm that sought to discredit critics

Facebook said Thursday it was severing ties with a political consultancy that sought to discredit critics of the social networking giant using questionable campaign-style tactics. The California-based company's announcement followed a lengthy New York Times investigation detailing Facebook's struggles with its image as it came under scrutiny for its handling of Russian-led misinformation efforts.
Facebook said in a statement that "we ended our contract" on Wednesday with Definers Public Affairs, which specializes in opposition research and, according to the Times, sought to link anti-Facebook efforts to financier George Soros. But Facebook disputed claims that it used the firm in a nefarious way.
The Times, Facebook said, was "wrong to suggest that we ever asked Definers to pay for or write articles on Facebook's behalf - or to spread misinformation." The Times said in its investigation that Definers had sought to cast billionaire liberal donor Soros as the "unacknowledged force" behind a broad anti-Facebook movement. Facebook acknowledged that Definers had encouraged reporters to look into the funding of "Freedom from Facebook," an anti-Facebook organization.