Facebook election 'war room' goes quiet—for now

Facebook launched its "war room," pictured in October 2018, at its Menlo Park headquarters in California as a nerve ce
Facebook launched its "war room," pictured in October 2018, at its Menlo Park headquarters in California as a nerve center for the fight against misinformation

Facebook said on Monday a "war room" set up to defend the social network from abuses aimed at influencing elections in Brazil and the US has gone quiet.

With voting done in those countries, Facebook confirmed that it will widen its focus to other parts of the world with upcoming elections where the initiative is deemed necessary.

"The war room will be operational ahead of major events, and it still stands," Facebook vice president of product management Guy Rosen said on Twitter.

"It was effective for our work in both the Brazil and US elections which is why it's going to be expanded, not disbanded."

A strategic response team formed earlier this year operates separately, continuously defending against overall efforts to misuse or abuse the social network, according to Facebook.

The launched its at its Menlo Park headquarters in California in October as a nerve center for the fight against misinformation and manipulation by foreign actors trying to influence elections.

The measure came after Facebook was accused of doing too little to prevent misinformation efforts by Russia and others in the 2016 US election.

© 2018 AFP

Citation: Facebook election 'war room' goes quiet—for now (2018, November 26) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2018-11-facebook-election-war-room-quietfor.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Facebook purges 251 accounts to thwart deception

2 shares

Feedback to editors