to wreak havoc online . Last year , the New York Times 's Adrian Chen explored the workings of " the Internet Research Agency , " as it 's known . Hundreds of employees are paid to mix falsehoods with truth on social media to mislead and misinform .
Embed White House Contractor 's Leaked Emails Reveal Private Schedules , Michelle Obama 's Passport 1:39 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog A White House contractor 's email appears to have been hacked , leaking material ranging from Michelle Obama 's passport to the number of stairs the Secret Service anticipated Joe Biden would be climbing during a trip to Cleveland . The emails were sent from the Gmail account of Ian Mellul , who is a contractor employedpersonnel.startposition.naas an advance associate at the White House , and include correspondences with other White House employees as well as with Mellul 's friends and professors . In one , the staffer references still being in college . A senior U.S. intelligence official called the hack " the most damaging compromise of the security of the President of the United States that I 've seen in decades , all caused by a careless staffer who compromised information outside government systems merely for convenience . "
In June , the issue gained new attention when an American entering the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was tackled by a Russian guard . The American was identified by the State Department as an accredited diplomat , and said he had shown his identification to the guard under normal procedure . Russian Foreign Ministry officials , however , said the guard , who was employedpersonnel.startposition.naby the country 's main security agency , the FSB , was only doing his duty : protecting the embassy from what he deemed to be a suspicious person who , they said , was also wearing a disguise . Tit - For - Tat Expulsions Later , Moscow claimed the American was a CIA officer working under diplomatic cover , a common technique used by many countries , including both Russia and the United States .