Sections
Log in
Top News
U.S. News World News Featured Voices
Odd News
Entertainment
Movies Music TV
Sports
Soccer NFL NBA MLB
Photos
News Entertainment Sports Features
More...
Defense Featured Science Health Video Archive Almanac
About Feedback Privacy Policy
About Feedback Privacy Policy
Search
Trending
Vaping
Cowboy pigeons
Impeachment
New Jersey shooting
Dallas Stars
Nemanja Bjelica
Derrick Rose
New Zealand volcano
Megan Rapinoe
Boston slaying
U.S. News
Oct. 21, 2019 / 4:44 PM

Facebook unveils new plans to protect 2020 elections

By
Sommer Brokaw
Facebook unveiled new plans Monday to fight U.S. 2020celection interference. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Facebook unveiled plans Monday to stop 2020 election interference, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company uncovered new efforts by Russian and Iran to meddle in U.S. elections.

Russia's Internet Research Agency, often coined a "troll factory," used social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook to spread misinformation leading up to the 2016 election, which the U.S. intelligence community said favored then-candidate Donald Trump.

Facebook introduced "several new measures" to combat foreign interference, increase transparency and reduce misinformation in the 2020 election.

Fighting foreign interference includes removing "inauthentic behavior" across its apps, which it has already done during the past three years, including removing three accounts in Iran and Russia.

RELATED Supreme Court strikes down Michigan gerrymandering ruling

Zuckerberg told NBC News it thwarted new interference campaigns from Russia and Iran.

"We continue to see their tactics are evolving," Zuckerberg said in the interview with Lester Holt, which will air Monday evening on NBC Nightly News. "Today, what we're basically announcing is that we found a set of campaigns. They are highly sophisticated. They signal that these nation-states intend to be active in the upcoming elections."

Facebook said it will also reduce "inauthentic behavior," by protecting accounts of candidates, their staff and their teams, and updating its policy to clarify how to deal with deceptive practices.

RELATED Trump: G7 summit won't take place at his Florida resort after backlash

The measure to increase transparency includes making Facebook Pages "more transparent by showing people the Page's primary country location and whether the Page has merged with other Pages," the Facebook statement said. "This gives people more context on the Page and makes it easier to understand who's behind it."

It also includes labeling state-controlled media, which is under control of a government, and updating the Ad Library to help people understand more about the ads they view.

The measure to reduce information will mean reducing the distribution of such information in News Feed, and labeling information that has been rated false by third-party fact-checkers as such.

RELATED Rep. Francis Rooney announces retirement after criticizing Trump comments

Zuckerberg defended the decision to allow political campaigns to run advertisements containing falsehoods.

  • Topics
  • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Donald Trump
  • 2016 Election

Latest Headlines

Pete Buttigieg reveals list of McKinsey clients
U.S. News // 35 minutes ago
Pete Buttigieg reveals list of McKinsey clients
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday released a list of clients that he advised for while employed by elite management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

U.S. suspends operational training of Saudi students at military bases
U.S. News // 1 hour ago
U.S. suspends operational training of Saudi students at military bases
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The United States suspended operational training of Saudi students at military locations and called for revisions to its vetting process for international military students on Tuesday.

Federal judge blocks plan to divert $3.6B in military funding for border wall
U.S. News // 2 hours ago
Federal judge blocks plan to divert $3.6B in military funding for border wall
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A federal judge blocked $3.6 billion in military funding the Trump administration planned to divert to pay for construction of a border wall.

Trump, Democrats agree to U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal
U.S. News // 10 hours ago
Trump, Democrats agree to U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- House Democrats and the Trump administration have reached an agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, both sides announced Tuesday.

Merriam-Webster announces 'they' as 2019 Word of the Year
U.S. News // 4 hours ago
Merriam-Webster announces 'they' as 2019 Word of the Year
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- "They" was Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year of the Year for 2019, reflecting its use as a pronoun for non-binary people.

Active shooting in New Jersey leaves 6 dead, including officer
U.S. News // 7 hours ago
Active shooting in New Jersey leaves 6 dead, including officer
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A gun battle at a Jersey City, N.J., bodega Tuesday left six people dead, including a police officer and two suspects, local authorities said.

Boston man convicted for killing two doctors
U.S. News // 5 hours ago
Boston man convicted for killing two doctors
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A Boston jury on Tuesday found a man guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for killing two doctors in their home in 2017.

U.S. court unveils charges against Genaro Garcia Luna tied to El Chapo's cartel
U.S. News // 5 hours ago
U.S. court unveils charges against Genaro Garcia Luna tied to El Chapo's cartel
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Mexico's former secretary of public security, Genaro Garcia Luna, faces federal charges in New York for allegedly taking millions in bribes to protect the drug cartel once run by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman

Lisa Page sues Trump administration for releasing text messages
U.S. News // 6 hours ago
Lisa Page sues Trump administration for releasing text messages
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page sued the Trump administration Tuesday for releasing hundreds of text messages between herself and a former FBI agent with whom she had a romantic relationship.

NASA gears up to test fire new SLS moon rocket in Mississippi
U.S. News // 6 hours ago
NASA gears up to test fire new SLS moon rocket in Mississippi
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss.,Dec. 10 (UPI) -- NASA is getting ready to test fire the largest rocket since the Apollo era at the sprawling Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi, where the new SLS moon rocket's first stage is expected to arrive in early 2020.

Trending Stories

Impeachment: House charges Trump with abuse of power, obstruction
Impeachment: House charges Trump with abuse of power, obstruction
New Zealand volcano: Criminal probe launched; death toll rises to six
New Zealand volcano: Criminal probe launched; death toll rises to six
Active shooting in New Jersey leaves 6 dead, including officer
Active shooting in New Jersey leaves 6 dead, including officer
Efficiency, new seismic standards behind $2B high-tech California hospital
Efficiency, new seismic standards behind $2B high-tech California hospital
NASA unveils core stage of new Artemis moon rocket
NASA unveils core stage of new Artemis moon rocket

Photo Gallery

 
Sports Illustrated gala honors Megan Rapinoe as Sportsperson of the Year
Sports Illustrated gala honors Megan Rapinoe as Sportsperson of the Year

Latest News

Philadelphia Phillies to sign former New York Yankees SS Didi Gregorius
Missouri introduces Appalachian State's Eli Drinkwitz as 33rd head football coach
Pete Buttigieg reveals list of McKinsey clients
Patriots' Bill Belichick on Bengals sideline video: 'I have no involvement in this'
U.S. suspends operational training of Saudi students at military bases
 
Back to Article
/
Back to top
About UPI Contact Feedback Advertisements Submit News Tips
Copyright © 2019 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy