In preparation for upcoming elections, Facebook says it is rolling out tougher misinformation protocols.
Key details
Facebook’s parent company Meta says that it has spent $5 billion on safety and security in the last year. Forty teams made up of hundreds of its employees monitor misinformation on the platform.
In the first quarter, Meta says it has banned around 250 white-supremacist groups and removed 2.5 million pieces of hate content.
“The system isn’t perfect but it’s the best approach we have found to address misinformation in line with our country’s values,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a testimony to Congress.
Meta says that it has established security systems to combat any foreign interference in election information. The social-media site also has a “network of independent fact-checking partners” and has implemented new protocols to protect poll workers.
“As we did in 2020, we have a dedicated team in place to combat election and voter interference while also helping people get reliable information about when and how to vote,” Meta said.
Why it’s news
Social-media platforms during the last election cycles have been fraught with accusations of misinformation or “fake news.” Facebook is preparing to combat these issues during the upcoming midterm elections.
Misinformation has been a growing concern among voters, especially during the most recent election cycles.
In addition to false information circulating social-media sites, political opponents have used the terms “misinformation” or “disinformation” as a weapon against opponents.
When groups or individuals are banned from social media—like Bobby Kennedy’s Children’s Health Defense just was—some applaud while others cite First Amendment violations.
There’s no easy solution to the misinformation conundrum. Allowing a select group of people to declare what is true and what isn’t while each person holds his or her own biases and agendas could create additional conflicts.
Notable quote
Not everyone is enthusiastic about Meta’s attempt to filter out misinformation.
Political analyst Anthony Russo says, “We’ve already seen what they did in the 2020 election, and it did not exactly sow voter confidence across the board, especially if you look at people that are more on the conservative side of voting. When you look at the policies they have in place, they’re actually just inflating what they did in 2020.”
