Rules on voting or political ads are tightened by Facebook as it prepares for the U.S. election.
San Francisco, United States:
Facebook said on Wednesday that it would stop serving ads on political or social issues after the U.S. polls closed on November 3 to reduce the potential for confusion or abuse.
The main social network said any post prematurely declaring a winner or contesting the tally will be tagged with reliable information from news outlets and election officials.
“If a candidate or party declares a premature victory before a race is called by the mainstream media, we will add more specific information in the notifications indicating that the count is still ongoing and that no winner has been determined, “Facebook executives said at a press briefing.
Rules on advertising and voting or political posts are being tightened by Facebook and Instagram as they prepare for the U.S. election.
The California-based internet giant has come under pressure to avoid being used to spread disinformation and ignite social divide, as was the case in the 2016 presidential election.
The policies against voter bullying instituted by Facebook four years ago have been constantly broadened to reflect new trends and tactics to intimidate or prevent voting, according to vice president of content policy Monika Bickert.
“As we enter the final days of this election, we know we will see spikes in efforts to intimidate voters,” Bickert said at the meeting.
Wednesday’s tightening of rules included banning posts referring to weapons or armies by encouraging people to monitor polling stations on election day, Bickert said.
“We will remove any statements of intent or plea to go to an election site in military language,” Bickert said.
“We will also remove calls to go to the polls to monitor whether this involves exercising control or showing power.”
Facebook has already banned posts directly urging people to go to polling stations with guns or stop people from voting.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
