So Facebook took down Trump ads featuring an upside-down red triangle– a Nazi symbol that was used to identify political enemies.
By the time Facebook acted more than 80 ads for Trump and VP Pence containing the symbol racked up about a million and a half views. Here’s a screenshot of one of them, in case you missed them.
Well, whoopie. One set of ads banned. I mean, that’s good, because finally, some action by Facebook.
But it’s not enough. Not even close.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has been reluctant to take action on political ads even if those ads contain lies– unless they violate Facebook’s policies. He’s assured his unhappy staff and outraged Facebook users that those policies are currently “under review.” This means, however, that we’ll have to wait– in a critical election year– to see what, if any, policy changes Facebook will make.
We don’t have the time to waste on this kind of dithering. If you see these types of ads, don’t just scroll. Block and report it. Let Facebook know you object to racist, misleading ads.
Then again, the ads aren’t the only problem.
Maybe one of your “friends” posted this– “The point of defunding the police in Minneapolis is that Minnesota is where Obama settled 1 million Islamics. They want Sharia Law.”
Guess what, it’s a lie, and there’s a place you can go to check it out. Here’s a great resource– a partnership between Politico and Facebook dedicated to fact-checking Facebook posts.
There’s a jillion of these fake posts being shared on Facebook. For example, have you seen the bogus story claiming that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah are wearing ankle monitors? It says these “elite” figures are on house arrest with ankle monitors “due to child trafficking crimes.”
How about the one that says California’s registered independent voters “will not be able to vote republican come 2020.”
Or look at this doozy —“Antifa now banging on residents’ doors in Seattle, demanding food & supplies. If they don’t get it, the house gets vandalized.”
If a post looks and smells like a lie, don’t just roll your eyes. Go to the fact-checking website to verify. If you know the poster, you might want to share what you’re found. It might put a strain on your friendship, but shouldn’t they know the truth? Hey, at least you spoke up.
Facebook is so powerful that unless we make noise nothing will change. We can’t let it ruin another election. There’s too much at stake.