Facebook: Statements by politicians may violate rules
Facebook will generally leave statements by politicians on the platform even if they violate the online network's content rules. The exception for posts with news value, which has been in place for years, will apply to all statements by politicians in future.
Facebook will also continue not to submit them to the independent fact-checking partners for review, explained the online network's head of policy and former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
However, Clegg emphasized that the special treatment of politicians' statements ends when people are endangered as a result. In addition, the exception does not apply to political contributions that are distributed as advertising. At the same time, advertisements are not available for the fact checks.
"Our role as Facebook is to ensure a level playing field and not to be a political participant ourselves," said Clegg. He used a tennis analogy to illustrate this: the online network ensures that the court is ready, but does not pick up the racket itself.
Facebook is under massive pressure from Washington in the USA, especially in view of the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump and his supporters accuse the online network and other online platforms of suppressing conservative opinions. (SDA)
