Facebook just made a big announcement on Tuesday in which they stated that they would not take down politician’s posts that violated its standards. Twitter has promised that they will not label them as rivals.
Social media platforms are under pressure to block election interference, and they are getting more transparent about policies on political content. It has happened because of the accusation on Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and other companies. The US officials called it an extensive cyber-influence campaign by Russia aimed at helping elect Donald Trump in 2016.
The kind of posts from politicians that could be kept up could include cruel or insensitive comments or graphic content. If flagged, a notice would cover the offending post and will require the user to click on a link to view it.
Facebook’s head of global affairs Nick Clegg announced the stance in a speech in Washington DC on the social media giant’s preparations for the US presidential election in November 2020.
“Would it be acceptable to society at large to have a private company in effect, become a self-appointed referee for everything that politicians say?” Clegg asked. “I don’t believe it would be.”
A Facebook spokeswoman told Reuters that newsworthy content from politicians on Facebook would not be labeled to show it had violated the rules.
