On numerous occasions, the Internet giant Facebook has been blamed for the dissemination of misinformation among the general public. The situation has previously been made a prime agenda for the country, but the 2020 elections will be different in that regard.

In the week leading to the election, Facebook will stop taking political advertisements. The step is a part of a set of efforts the company is making to avoid any kind of election interference.

According to the company, the candidates and political action committees can continue to buy ads that have received at least one impression by  October 27. If they wish so, the candidates can also decide on who they want to target based on how much they are willing to spend – but new ad campaigns can’t be launched.

Besides banning new ads, this time, the Internet company has been very careful and has done its election bit close to perfection. The company initiated the Voter Information Center which sits at the top of Facebook and Instagram feeds to provide users with correct, verified information on election and voting. The widget will be on the platforms until the election day.

The company has partnered up with Reuters to provide live, official election results as they become available. In addition to all that, the company is also actively removing any posts that contain misinformation about COVID-19 and the voting process.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed his thoughts about the situation and underlined the importance of a convenient and accurate voting system. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg announced:

“The US elections are just two months away, and with COVID-19 affecting communities across the country, I’m concerned about the challenges people could face when voting. I’m also worried that with our nation so divided and election results potentially taking days or even weeks to be finalized, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country.”

Zuckerberg has faced backlash before due to alleged interference in the election process. But those days are long gone, now, the company is taking the agenda very seriously and the steps have certainly vamped up its image. 

Election campaigns are in full swing, Donald Trump and Joe Biden have both come up with their versions of the promotion extensions which will be more based on in-person interaction. With every passing day, the competition seems to be getting tighter – and the parties are diving deeper into the game.