Facebook to detect ‘inauthentic, abusive behavior’ online during elections

MANILA, Philippines — Facebook will intensify its efforts to detect abusive behavior on social media during elections, an official from Facebook Headquarters said on Thursday.

“We are committed to tackling all kinds of inauthentic behavior and abuse on our platform which we know often intensify during elections—from misinformation, misrepresentation and foreign interference, to phishing, harassment and violent threats—and we have dedicated teams working on every upcoming election around the world,” Katie Harbath, Director of Facebook’s Global Politics and Government Outreach said in a statement.

Earlier, Facebook said it will continue to shut down fake accounts and stop the distribution of fake news to enforce “election integrity” in the Philippines.

Facebook will work third party fact checkers such as Poynter Institute and the Philippine news site Rappler to help determine bogus reports online.

READ: FB cracks down on fake accounts, fake news to keep PH ‘election integrity’

Facebook will also coordinate with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other civil society organizations in promoting online safety during election period in the Philippines.

“The company is working closely with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and civil society organizations to help detect and prevent bad actors from abusing the platform,” Harbath said.

Harbath also said Comelec will help in conducting trainings on online safety and identify ways to use the platform to “share election updates and encourage voter turnout.”

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said Comelec recognizes how Facebook can help share information about the election candidates.

“We recognize how Facebook levels the playing field not only for candidates, but also for voters, who can access more information about leaders and if needed, make leaders more accountable to their constituents,” Jimenez said in a statement.

“We are working closely with Facebook to deter threats to elections integrity and ensure we mitigate risks to safety during the midterm elections,” he added. /je