Facebook, Twitter Flag Trump for Misleading Posts on Voting
Facebook and Twitter labeled posts from Trump for “encouraging people to potentially vote twice”.
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. flagged posts from U.S. President Donald Trump, the latest effort by the companies to crack down on misleading voting information.
Twitter added labels to two tweets from Trump for “encouraging people to potentially vote twice,” the company said.
Trump suggested on Twitter Thursday morning that people vote in person as well as by mail to be “ASSURED THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED.” That could be interpreted as advising people to vote twice, which is illegal.
The same post was also flagged on Facebook, where the company added a label that directed users to its voting information center. “Voting by mail has a long history of trustworthiness in the U.S. and the same is predicted this year,” Facebook wrote on the label appended to the president’s post.
Trump has criticized mail-in ballots, suggesting the system will lead to a fraudulent or rigged election. Many Americans are expected to vote by mail this year due to health concerns driven by the coronavirus.
Facebook on Thursday expanded its voter-suppression policies. The company will label or remove more posts that misconstrue how to vote or suggest legitimate methods of voting are illegal.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.