The social media tactics used by a Russian organisation to influence the 2016 US elections were broader and more targeted than previously thought, two new reports released on Monday show.

The reports, released by the Senate intelligence committee, are based on independent analyses of the tactics used by Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA).

They show that the St Petersburg-based organisation, which backed Donald Trump, aggressively sought to divide Americans and erode their trust in democratic institutions.

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