Facebook VP says the platform rejected more than 2 million ads for trying to obstruct voting

Facebook vp for world affairs Nick Clegg mentioned the firm has rejected 2.2 million ads throughout Facebook and Instagram as a result of the ads have been trying to (*2*) in the upcoming US presidential election, Agence France-Presse reported. The social media large additionally has withdrawn 120,000 posts and positioned warnings on 150 million posts for the similar causes, Clegg added.

Clegg made the remarks in an interview with the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche. He mentioned Facebook has used synthetic intelligence that “made it possible to delete billions of posts and fake accounts, even before they are reported by users” and famous that the firm has partnered with 70 media shops, together with 5 in France, to confirm info.

Facebook launched that fact-checking program in the aftermath of the 2016 elections, and added it to Instagram final 12 months. The program has since expanded to embody Facebook teams, the place misinformation is incessantly shared. The fact-checking program has had blended outcomes, nevertheless, with early companions Snopes and ABC leaving the partnership.

And a report in the Wall Street Journal final week demonstrated how far Facebook has gone to strive to appease conservatives who incessantly complain about perceived bias in its algorithm. According to the WSJ, Facebook designed adjustments to its information feed algorithm in 2017 to cut back the visibility of content material from left-leaning information websites like Mother Jones on its platform, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s approval.

Facebook has taken different steps to strive to mitigate potential chaos on November third and afterward. The platform will ban ads that wrongly declare victory in the US presidential race, or ads that declare rampant voter fraud might alter the outcomes of the election. Facebook additionally will reject ads from Donald Trump or Joe Biden if both tries to declare a win prematurely. And it’s banned new political ads the week earlier than the election.