Facebook to Identify State-Run Media

By Patrick Thomas 

Facebook Inc. said it is taking additional steps to protect the integrity of the 2020 U.S. elections, including clearer identification of state-run media on its platform.

The social-media giant said Monday it will begin flagging such outlets as being wholly or partially under the editorial control of their home government. In early 2020, the company plans to extend the labeling to specific posts and, as well, to its Instagram platform.

"We will hold these pages to a higher standard of transparency because they combine the opinion-making influence of a media organization with the strategic backing of a state," Facebook said in a blog post on its website.

The company said it is also adding a security tool for political candidates to guard against hacking attempts.

Facebook has faced immense criticism of its political advertising policies and its handling of misinformation. Earlier this month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren attempted to turn those policies against the company, running an ad with a false claim about Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

Other outlined steps to protect the integrity of the coming election include putting more prominent labels on posts proven false by third-party fact checkers.

Facebook said it will also add more information about the owner of pages if it notices a failure to disclose the organization behind pages, leading people to think they are run independently. Facebook said it is adding a tab that includes the organization's legal name and verified city, phone number or website.

The company also plans to ban paid advertising that suggests voting is useless or meaningless, or advises people not to vote.

Write to Patrick Thomas at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 21, 2019 14:42 ET (18:42 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.