TikTok, Facebook accused of censoring false news about US election
Báo Tuổi Trẻ•19/10/2024
An investigation by advocacy group Global Witness found that TikTok and Facebook approved ads containing false and misleading information about the 2024 US election.
TikTok, Facebook accused of censoring false news about the 2024 US presidential election - Photo: Global Witness/Getty Images
The investigation results were released on October 17, just weeks before the US presidential election officially began. The group Global Witness sent eight ads containing election misinformation to TikTok, Facebook and YouTube to test the platforms' advertising systems. The ads contained completely false information such as people can vote online, or content inciting violence against voters, candidates and threatening election workers. According to Global Witness, TikTok had the worst results, approving four out of eight ads despite the platform's policy banning all political advertising. Facebook approved one out of eight ads received. YouTube initially approved 50% of these ads, but required personal identification such as a passport or driver's license to advertise on the platform. Global Witness emphasized that this is a significant barrier for those spreading misinformation and fake news compared to other platforms. Responding to the news, a TikTok spokesperson explained that the four ads were "incorrectly approved during the initial review phase." She affirmed that the platform does not allow political advertising and will continue to enforce this policy on a large scale. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Meta - Facebook's parent company - disputed Global Witness' findings, saying that the results were based on a small ad and therefore "do not reflect how we enforce our policies at scale." The Meta spokesperson said that ensuring online information about the 2024 election is one of the company's top priorities.
Online platforms are facing increased scrutiny after misinformation spread during the 2020 US presidential election. Google said on October 17 that it would pause election-related advertising after the last polls close on November 5. The tech giant also took the same action during the 2020 election. Meanwhile, Meta said it would block new political ads in the final week of the campaign.
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