Facebook says it has put in place measures to reduce misinformation and ensure fairness and integrity of elections in Africa.

Facebook’s Public Policy Manager, Africa Elections, Akua Gyekye, said the measures provide an overview of the social media platform’s ongoing work in reducing misinformation and removing voter suppression.

Development Diaries understands that African politics is facing an especially significant challenge from misinformation, which is common in African election campaigns.

According to Gyekye, Facebook is working towards preventing election interference, supporting civic engagement and increasing transparency in political advertising.

‘We are working hard to fight the spread of misinformation on our services because we know that people want to see accurate information on Facebook and Instagram’, Gyekye said.

‘Our updated policies allow us to remove misinformation which could lead to imminent violence or physical harm, and also remove misinformation which could prevent people from voting, such as false news related to the dates, location, time, and voting methods.

‘Over the past year, we have expanded our work with independent fact-checking organisations across Africa to review and rate the accuracy of content shared on Facebook and Instagram’.

He noted that the programme now covers 18 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and also supports local languages such as Swahili, Wolof, Igbo, Yoruba, Zulu, and Setswana.

Facebook, according to Gyekye, will continue to run campaigns focused on providing educational tips on how to spot false news.

Source: Vanguard

Photo source: Richard Drew/Associated Press