Facebook is reportedly mulling a commission to advise on elections

Acebook is considering forming a commission to advise on thorny issues related to global elections, according to a Wednesday report from the New York Times. The company has begun to approach academics and policy experts, which say potentially can weigh on the problems ranging from political advertising to the wrong information election. What’s more, it’s not just that we are a general election where the Commission can find itself with a complicated election problem; The Commission is also likely to have a mandate to burden general elections in Hungary, Germany, Brazil and the Philippines.

Facebook declined to comment.

On his face, the Commission is very similar to the Facebook supervision board, Mandiri Journalist Panel, Academics and Activists are often described as “Supreme Court” assigned to review Facebook policies. The Supervisory Board may be famous for enforcing Facebook’s decision to ban Donald Trump, although since the establishment of last year has also agreed to weigh doxing; Hatred; How big politicians must be treated; Moderate content in Myanmar coup; moderation by algorithm; and treatment of the right satire content.

But even though the Makeup Election Commission sounds like the Supervisory Board – and can also let ownership of facebook steps on controversial decisions – there may be important differences, according to time. While the supervision board weighing on the decision that Facebook has made (such as the Supreme Court considers the decision of the court contested), the Election Commission will have a latitude to proactively offer suggestions, even on the things where Facebook has not taken a public stand.

If Facebook advances with the transfer of decisions related to the election to the Advisory Committee, it will be a departure of previous efforts to fight wrong information, which is mostly reactive, and almost always imperfect. Even after a temporary ban on political advertising ahead of the US 2020 election, some ads are still displayed as active in the Facebook ad library. Facebook last year also tried to label advertising from politically connected publications, and earlier this year was moved to show users of lack of political content.

Although Facebook is reportedly hoping to launch a commission ahead of the 2022 semester midfield election, The Times also describes outreach as an introduction, without guarantee that Facebook will move forward this.