Dear Friend,

If something you just read on your social feed was created by a media outlet under the control of a repressive foreign government like Russia, China, or Iran … how would you know?  

In a new report we’ve just released, we found that Facebook and Instagram are failing to live up to their commitments to label the accounts of state-controlled media outlets – and even when they do, the design of the labels is not prominent enough nor does it link to authoritative sources.[1]

This has very serious implications for our democracy as we head into election season … especially when we’ve already seen extensive efforts by foreign governments to manipulate voters with dis- and misinformation campaigns.[2]

Simply put, Meta needs to do better – a LOT better – on this issue to stop foreign efforts to meddle in our elections. Sign our petition and tell Meta: it’s time to live up to your commitment to clearly label state-controlled media outlets on Facebook and Instagram!

Both Instagram and Facebook have a policy commitment to label state-government controlled media accounts on their platforms, but they’re both falling short of consistent and accurate labels for those accounts.

We know that labeling works to stop the spread of false information. According to research published last year by Carnegie Mellon University, when social media users notice labels on content from state-controlled media outlets for authoritarian governments like China or Russia, they are less likely to engage with that content.[3]

As foreign governments ramp up their efforts to manipulate voters ahead of the November elections, social media companies have a special responsibility to protect the integrity of our democracy. Let’s send Meta a clear message today that they need to get serious about stopping the spread of propaganda and disinformation operations designed to influence our elections.

Thanks for taking action,

Nicole Gill
Co-founder and Executive Director
Accountable Tech

Sources:

1. Accountable Tech: As Global Elections Near, Meta’s Social Media Platforms Are Failing to Label Russian, Chinese, and Saudi Disinformation

2. Axios: OpenAI says its tools were used in foreign influence campaigns
   

3. Carnegie Mellon University: Facebook Labels of Government-Controlled Media Reduced Users’ Engagement When They Were Noticed

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