Meta to keep fact checkers for Aus fed poll, promises 'comprehensive' approach to election
Social platform Meta has done a media blitz weeks ahead of the expected federal election, where it has promised: "a comprehensive approach to help ensure the integrity of elections on our platforms."
Go Deeper: In a blog post, the company announced several steps to combat election-related misinformation on the platform, enhance transparency on AI-generated content, and prevent potential foreign interference. Among the announcements were:
- Fact-checking & misinformation control: Partnering with AFP and AAP to review content, label misinformation, and reduce its reach.
- Voter resources: Collaborating with the AEC to provide verified voting info and election reminders on Facebook & Instagram.
- AI-generated content oversight: Labelling AI-generated content, enforcing policies, and working with industry partners to prevent deceptive AI use.
- Ad transparency: Political ads require disclosure and are stored in a public library for seven years.
- Foreign interference prevention: Removing coordinated inauthentic behavior, labelling state-controlled media, and enforcing election-related policies.
Why it matters: Millions of Australians will soon vote in the federal election. Meta is emphasising that it intends to have a number of safeguards in place, including fact checkers, which the platform is moving away from in the US, to safeguard the platform during the election campaign.
It comes during a federal election campaign in which social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are all expected to play a central role. Just weeks ago, the Australian Electoral Commission announced it was launching a TikTok account to ensure it had a presence on that platform.
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