Facebook has a lot to lose in the US election
The social media behemoth's success, or failure, in protecting the integrity of the November 3 election may dictate how it is permitted to operate in future, as regulators circle the tech sector.
It was a “crazy idea”, Mark Zuckerberg declared in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election, that fake news on Facebook had any influence over the result. But, within 12 months, the Facebook founder had been forced to apologise amid revelations that Russia had used the world’s largest social media platform to spread falsehoods and stir up tensions as part of a targeted election interference campaign.
Four years on, Mr Zuckerberg is at pains to prove his platform is rooting out the deluge of misinformation, voter suppression and violence-inciting content that has already begun to proliferate on its apps. It has a lot at stake. Facebook’s success, or failure, in protecting the integrity of the November 3 election may dictate how it is permitted to operate in future, with global regulators circling the technology sector.
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