Facebook’s quarterly profit increases

Facebook Incorporated has seen a 79 percent jump in profit as it pushes further into video advertising in a quarter dominated by reports that Russia allegedly used the social network to meddle in the 2016 U.S. election.

The company is at the center of a political firestorm in the U.S. for the way it handles paid political ads and allows the spread of false news stories.

U.S. lawmakers have threatened tougher regulation and fired questions at General Counsel Colin Stretch in hearings this week.

Facebook, in a series of disclosures over two months, has said Russia bought at least 3,000 U.S. political ads and published another 80,000 Facebook posts that were seen by as many as 126 million Americans over two years.