For the past several months, executives at Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) have been working to fulfill their commitment to declutter the platform, following allegations of manipulation and data misuse. Continuing the drive, the social media firm this week announced plans to make the site free of all kinds of misinformation about the upcoming census. The idea is to help the authorities carry out the process in a flawless manner.
Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when the country is witnessing some intense political maneuvering. Earlier, the infamous Cambridge Analytica data-breach scandal, in which Facebook was allegedly involved, had triggered a political controversy. Under the new content policy, Facebook will remove posts and advertisements published with political interest. All messages that might mislead the people about participating in the census will be banned.
Also read: Facebook Q3 2019 Earnings Conference Call Transcript
The curbs will likely be imposed soon, coinciding with the launch of the initial survey by the Census Bureau early next year. Posts will also be scrutinized for misleading information intended to incite fear among the participants. However, past experience shows that the company is yet to fully achieve its goal of removing millions of fake profiles and ensuring data privacy.
CEO Vows Action
Earlier, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the under the new policy, all activities on Facebook aimed at influencing the people in connection with the census would be prohibited, which is in line with the stance adopted by the company earlier, following allegations that the platform was used for misleading voters during the presidential election.
Mixed Q3 Outcome
Facebook reported stronger than expected earnings and revenues for its most recent quarter, triggering a stock rally. However, the tech firm disappointed investors with unimpressive user growth, a key indicator of financial performance.