Facebook, Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is under pressure from Joe Biden and other critics. This platform has been accused of taking sides at times. It has been receiving money from President Trump. In return, it has been giving users the information Trump wants them to receive even if it is false information. Sometime back, Trump’s campaign ads made strong accusations against Joe Biden. The message on these ads projected that Biden had some close ties with Ukraine. When asked to pull down this misinformation, Facebook and other major social networks refused to do so.
Factors contributing to the spread of lies through ads
Some three factors seem to be at play. The first one is a major increase in the number of leaders who are dishonest and determined to mislead the general public. The second is that quite a significant number of voters remain uneducated to date. Lastly, the media isn’t yet objective enough. These factors are resulting in great confusion in the United States and pressure piles on Facebook to act more responsibly.
It was a short while back that the social media giant formalized a policy creating a leeway for politicians to lie in ads. The other thing that came out was the fact that the company was reluctant to share claims with third-party –checkers. This is a matter that had brought into question the allegiance of the company and it needs to act with speed.
The turn of events
In the last elections, the same company came to the spotlight on claims that it helped Trump rise to power. The next election is approaching, and the acts of Facebook are not being taken very kindly by critics.
Things have been different elsewhere, for example, in the TV networks. The other networks are reluctant when it comes to airing out Trump’s lies. On the other hand, Facebook collects money and allows Trump to continue with his lies.
However, it is important to give credit to some of the countries that have acted responsibly. Countries such as the EU, Ireland, and the UK disallow the act of conducting campaigns through TV ads.
This matter at hand is rather complex. If Facebook and other social networks discontinue their acts, they will give advantage to the incumbents. These incumbents have campaigned before, and that may give them an upper hand against the first-timers.
