Russia likely didn't hack the U.S. voting systems. But that doesn't mean it didn't take steps to influence the election.
On Friday, the Obama administration concluded that despite Russia's efforts to undermine the election, the results "accurately reflect the will of the American people."
Though, the administration acknowledged Russian forces made efforts to tamper with private emails and information from high-ranking officials and organizations.
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These statements come as opponents of Donald Trump cite vote hacking as a possible reason for his win. And that sentiment seems to have taken hold — Green Party candidate Jill Stein is currently crowdfunding recounts in three states.
But the thing is, it's incredibly difficult to hack U.S. voting systems on a large scale. If you want to blame Russia for the outcomes of the election, you might want to look at a different source: fake news designed to create distrust for U.S. democracy.
The Washington Post reports independent researchers found Russian propaganda forces had a hand in exploiting American tech platforms throughout the campaign season by writing and amplifying misleading articles.
SEE MORE: Don't Be Fooled By Fake News On Facebook
One expert said, "They want to essentially erode faith in the U.S. government or U.S. government interests."
Of course, this doesn't mean those efforts led to Trump's presidency, but the researchers do suggest forces tried to undermine the election and U.S. democracy in general.
Still, the Obama administration said regardless of that alleged interference, it's standing by the results and the integrity of U.S. voting.
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