Inside Story

Can Facebook stop US election misinformation?

Facebook said it would limit political ads before Americans go to the polls in November.

Facebook has announced steps to prevent its platform being exploited in the week leading up to the US presidential vote.

It will stop accepting new political ads seven days before the November 3 election, but it will continue to show what is already in the system.

Facebook has been criticised for allowing political ads to be “micro-targeted”, so they are only seen by small and select communities, instead of being debated by a wider audience.

It is also accused of not doing enough to fact-check articles on its platforms.

Will this move work?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

James Warren – Executive editor of NewsGuard, a fact-checking platform

Jim Anderson – CEO of Social Flow, a tech company that helps media companies distribute social content

Alan Schroeder – Professor at Northeastern University and author of Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail