Facebook, Alarmed by Election Misinformation, Is Said to Be Taking Action

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is planning to enact new measures to make it more difficult for election misinformation to spread virally across its platform, two people with knowledge of the matter said Thursday, as the outcome of presidential race remains uncertain.

Facebook plans to add more “friction” — such as an additional click or two — before people can share posts and other content, said the people, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The company will also demote content on the News Feed if it contains election-related misinformation, making it less visible, the people said.

The measures, which could be rolled out as soon as Thursday, are a response to heightened strife and social discord on Facebook, these people said. They said there had been more activity by users and Facebook groups to coordinate potentially violent actions over election issues such as voter fraud. President Trump has falsely claimed on social media over the past few days that the election is being “stolen” from him, even while a final result remains unclear.

Facebook has been more proactive about clamping down on misinformation in recent months, even as its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has said he does not want to be the arbiter of truth. The company has suspended political advertising for an indefinite period, for example, and has introduced notifications at the top of the News Feed that say no winner has been called in the election.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/technology/facebook-election-misinformation.html