Facebook and Twitter outline action on posts claiming early US election victory
Facebook and Twitter outline action on posts claiming early US election victory:
Social media companies Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc on Monday outlined plans for placing warning labels on posts from the US election candidates and campaigns that claim victory in advance of official results.
The moves come as social network platforms brace for what has been an unusual election cycle due to a high number of mail-in ballots that may cause a delay in final results.
Beginning on election night through the inauguration, Twitter said it would place warning labels such as “official sources called this election differently”, or “official sources may not have called the race when this was tweeted”.
Facebook will add specific information in news feed notifications in its apps and in the labels on posts if a candidate or a party declares premature victory and will continue to show latest results in its Voting Information Center, it has said in a separate statement.
Facebook said it would also monitor a range of issues in real time on Election Day, including reports of voter suppression content, and will remove any attempts to suppress participation or intimidate voters.
The US-based accounts with over 1,00,000 followers and a significant engagement would also be considered for labelling, Twitter said.
Social media companies are under pressure to combat election-related misinformation and prepare for the possibility of violence or poll place intimidation around the November vote.
In an updated blog, Twitter said it would consider state election officials and national news outlets such as ABC News, Associated Press, CNN and Fox News that have independent election decision desks as official sources for results. Their official Twitter accounts will be exempted from labelling, the company said. Reuters
