In the run up to the US presidential election in November, Facebook will indicate if the media is controlled by the state. Likewise, media marked in this way should no longer be allowed to place Facebook advertising in the US market. Outside of the US, these advertisements should run with labeling.
Protection Against Foreign interference
These measures are designed to protect against foreign interference in the public debate in the United States, said Facebook cyber security officers. The background to this is that the online network was misused in the environment of the 2016 US presidential election for campaigns from Russia that were probably aimed at increasing tensions in US society. As a result, Facebook was heavily criticized.
Many Facebook pages would be marked for the introduction of the state control label. It is not enough that the media in question is financed by the state. For example, the extent of editorial independence is crucial, as are factors such as transparent organizational structures, the fulfillment of accountability, editorial guidelines and their implementation, such as when dealing with sources and correcting errors.For the development of the criteria, experts for media, politics and human rights from around the world were consulted. Media recorded as controlled by the state could also object to the labeling. Facebook provides an overview in the help area of what is labeled as a state-controlled medium. Media that have been wrongly labeled may also lodge a complaint there.
Gradually, various advertisements from such media will receive the new label. In particular, since the presidential elections in the U.S. are scheduled for November 2020, ads from media under state control on Facebook are even to be completely rejected in the near future. In this way, the platform wants to prevent the influence that was rumored for the presidential election four years ago.
