Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) Global Affairs President Nick Clegg flagged the company's evolving role in content moderation amid global elections, the latest of which was the U.S. presidential election.
Clegg acknowledged the company's responsibility as an operator of platforms where public exchange of views occurs amid elections in the world's biggest democracies, including India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the European Union.
Previously, social media companies drew flak globally for spreading misinformation and content that perpetrated violence during elections.
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Facebook had suspended Donald Trump's (then U.S. President) account from January 6, 2021, to January 7, 2023, following the Capitol Hill riot in January 2021. X, formerly known as Twitter, also banned Trump's account after Facebook.
Therefore, Clegg acknowledged that the company had evolved its approach to elections since 2016 via trial and error, including forming a team of experts from its intelligence, data science, content and public policy, and legal teams.
In 2024, Meta ran multiple election operations centers globally amid primary elections, including the U.S., Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and the EU Parliament.
Meta updated and applied its content policies throughout the year to help users freely communicate and exchange views.
Meta introduced political content controls on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the U.S. to recommend political content based on users' choices, the blog read. It is amid efforts to roll out the feature globally.
Meta permitted social media users to question or flag doubts about election processes, avoiding election-related speculation or bias that could promote violence.
For paid content, Meta barred ads that questioned the legitimacy of an election, something the company had done since 2020.
Meta revised its penalties system in 2023 to enable an effective exchange of views while punishing the policy violators. The company conducted annual audits of words it considered slurs under its Hate Speech policy.
Meta also revised its penalty protocol for public figures suspended for violations.
Clegg also acknowledged monitoring deepfakes and AI-enabled disinformation campaigns during the elections that helped combat potential threats from the misuse of generative AI.
Meanwhile, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) chief and owner of X, Elon Musk, has actively promoted free speech and Trump during his 2024 presidential campaigns.
Meanwhile, Trump now expresses his views on Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (NASDAQ:DJT) Truth Social, where he has a majority stake.
