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News > U.S.

Facebook to Censor Ads that Discourage People from Voting

  • The Facebook logo is displayed on the company's website in Bordeaux, France, February 1, 2017.

    The Facebook logo is displayed on the company's website in Bordeaux, France, February 1, 2017.

Published 1 July 2019
Opinion

Facebook said it works proactively to remove malicious election-related content. The company is now encompassing “do not vote” ads in its efforts to ward off coordinated efforts to influence elections.

The social media giant Facebook Inc. will ban ads that discourage people from voting ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, according to its second annual Civil Rights Audit published on Sunday.

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According to Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s recent blog post, Facebook will put its “don’t vote” policy prohibition into effect in the fall, before the U.S. elections that are set to take place on November 5th.

Last year, Facebook expanded its policies against voter suppression by banning posts that spread misinformation on voting methods, election dates and times, and polling locations. Those rules include banning intimidation tactics such as misrepresentations on whether votes will be counted.

The new “don’t vote” policy is in its developmental stages and the company is seeking advice from voting organizations.

Facebook said the policy is likely to only apply in the United States in its initial release and will not include the policing of organic posts from users.

The social media giant has been used to spread misinformation about previous elections.

U.S. intelligence agencies say there was an extensive Russian cyber-influence operation during the 2016 campaign aimed at helping President Donald Trump get elected. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations.

“We focused on ads because there is a targeted component in them,” Facebook Public Policy Director Neil Potts said. “We recognize it as a political tactic, which is much more in line with voter suppression.”

Ads telling people to “boycott the election” disproportionately targeted African American Facebook users, according to Ian Vandewalker, senior council at the Brennan Center for Justice.

The world’s biggest social network also pledged to introduce a new misinformation policy in the fall ahead of the 2020 U.S. Census, prohibiting misrepresentations of Census requirements or methods, it said.

Facebook began conducting the annual Civil Rights Audit in 2018 to address concerns from underrepresented communities and advocacy groups on its platform.

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