VIDEO: WA Sec. of State misinformation team in jeopardy as Meta axes fact-checking
It’s the job of Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (right) to make sure local elections are safe and secure. But as he tells Fox 13 Seattle’s Lauren Donovan, major social media platforms ending fact-checking measures places new challenges and pressures on the system.
Fox 13 Seattle
For Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, safeguarding the integrity of elections is no easy task. Over the past 18 months, his office has identified 127 instances of false or misleading information about elections and election officials circulating online within the state.
However, the task has become even more difficult, as social media giant Meta scales back its fact-checking efforts on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
"There’s just no way that our state alone can correct everything," Hobbs said. "Not when you have all these influencers."
Meta’s recent policy shift means election-related content will no longer undergo third-party fact-checking. Instead, the company will rely on a crowdsourced "Community Notes" system, where users self-report concerning content. This approach mirrors the one adopted by X (formerly Twitter) months ago.
ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM THE INTEGRITY PROJECT
