The election dashboard, fact-checking teams, and warnings about misleading content are all back online.
Social media companies are bracing for a lot of political misinformation as the United States prepares for another election. Those companies, including TikTok and Facebook, are trumpeting a series of election tools and strategies that look similar to their approach in the past.
Disinformation watchdogs warn that while many of these programs are useful, the tactics proved insufficient in previous years and may not be enough to combat the wave of falsehoods pushed this election season.
There are anti-misinformation plans for Facebook.
Nick Clegg, president of global affairs for Meta, wrote in a post last week that Facebook's approach this year would be "largely consistent with the policies and safeguards" from 2020.
Posts rated false or partly false by one of Facebook's 10 American fact-checking partners will get one of several warning label s, which can force users to click past a banner reading "False Information" before they can see the content. In a change from 2020, those labels will be used in a more targeted and strategic way.
Election officials and poll workers will be addressed by Facebook. After the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the company has taken a more moderate approach to content.
More than 300 people were added to the election team after the 2016 election. Facebook's chief executive took a personal interest in election security.
Since the 2020 election, Meta has focused on something else. Building the metaverse and tackling stiff competition from TikTok are some of the things Mr. Facebook is focused on. CrowdTangle, a tool that helps track misinformation on Facebook, could be shut down by the company after the elections.
Jesse Lehrich is a co-founder of Accountable Tech, a nonprofit that focuses on technology and democracy.
A spokesman from Meta said that the elections team was absorbed into other parts of the company and that more than 40 teams are focused on the upcoming elections.
Eric Han, the head of U.S. safety, said in a post that the company would keep its fact-checking program going from 2020. The election information portal gives voter information six weeks earlier than it did in 2020.
There are clear signs that misinformation has flourished on the platform.
The platform's short video and audio clips are harder to moderate, making it easier to spread misinformation.
TikTok wants to stop creators who are paid for posting political content from doing so. TikTok does not allow paid political posts or political advertisements. Some users were ignoring the policies during the election. TikTok would begin approaching talent management agencies directly to outline their rules, according to a representative from the company.
The company has been criticized for not being transparent over the origins of its videos and moderation practices. The kind of access other companies give is what experts have called for.
According to the founding executive director of New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics, the fire is a five-alarm blaze. He said that they don't have a good idea of what's happening there.
The chief operating officer of TikTok said last month that the company would start sharing data with selected researchers.
The company said in a post on its website that it would be restarting its Civic Integrity Policy, a set of rules it uses ahead of elections around the world. Similar to those used by Facebook, warning labels will be added to false or misleading statements about elections, voting, or election integrity, often pointing users to accurate information. The company's algorithm doesn't recommend or distribute the labels to those that receive them. The company is able to remove false or misleading messages completely.
The company said that the new labels resulted in 17 percent more clicks. The interactions were similar to replies and retweets.
The strategy reflects the efforts of the company to limit false content.
The approach may help the company navigate difficult freedom of speech issues, which have been a thorn in the side of social media companies. Musk criticized freedom of speech when he tried to buy the company.
Unlike the other major online platforms, YouTube has not released its own election misinformation plan.
Mr. Sanderson said that it was not possible to findYouTube still. The general P.R. strategy seems to be: Don't say anything and nobody will notice.
In March, the parent company of YouTube published a post about their efforts to surface authoritative content through the streamer. After three strikes within 90 days, the channel will be terminated, according to the post.
Alex Jones was banned from the site after he was found to have distributed political misinformation. Last September it said it would remove all videos and accounts that shared vaccine misinformation. The company decided to ban some conservatives.
More than 80 fact checkers from around the world signed a letter in January warning that the platform is being weaponized to promote voter fraud conspiracy theories.
In a statement, Ivy Choi, a YouTube spokeswoman, said that its election team had been meeting for months to prepare for the midterms and that its recommendation engine is constantly and prominently showing content from authoritative news sources and limiting the spread of harmful midterms- related misinformation.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
