What is Facebook doing to protect the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 from fake news and misinformation?

Social media is known to play a significant role in the lives of people in the 21^st century. It has provided a common platform for people to voice their opinion regarding anything that they seem is necessary. The best example would that be of politics. Nowadays, you will see plenty of political posts circulating on Facebook. People are voicing their opinion even in the government. Well, that’s the kind of power and freedom of speech social media has provided to its users.

Facebook and spreading of fake news:

One of the most preferred social media platforms for people is Facebook. The platform has a great role to play when it comes to elections. This started since 2016 during the time of US Presidential Elections.

Facebook has always gained the limelight in the case of spreading fake news and misinformation. The problem tends to increase especially at the time of elections. The spreading of misinformation leads to various problems and controversies in society. This is why it is important for Facebook to take care of the problem.

Steps were taken by Facebook:

Considering the intensity of the given problem, Facebook has invested a lot of resources in developing technology that can remove bad content from its platforms. During the time of Lok Sabha elections 2019, a giant social media company like Facebook came in the forefront in order to help the problem. They entered into a partnership with various Indian media companies and collaborated with them to strengthen their base of regional languages. This helped Facebook to effectively stop the spreading of fake news and misinformation on the platform.

They have their dedicated team of experts to work with the Indian media houses. Together they keep a check and monitor the posts in order to keep it free from violence and hate speech. In short, Facebook aimed towards reducing the impact of fake new on the LokSabha elections.

In the past few years, Facebook has brought major changes in order to safeguard the integrity of the elections and they have been quite successful in the same. Some of the main methods or tactics used by Facebook in order to protect Lok Sabha elections 2019 are as follows:

Facebook has also employed more than 30,000 people to work on the security and safety of the users on the platform. It is known to work closely with regulators, law enforcement, election commissions and other important sectors of the society.

The steps taken by Facebook have shown results and there has been a decrease in the spread of fake news in recent years. Hopefully, in the coming years, Facebook will be able to stop the circulation of fake news completely.

Also read: What has Facebook done to protect the Lok Sabha elections 2019?