POLITICAL SPEECH : FACEBOOK SO EXEMPTS

FACEBOOK exempts political speech from fact-checking.

Facebook will not fact-check the statements politicians post on the site, the social network announced Tuesday ahead of the US 2020 elections, even as it works to discredit false information meant to manipulate public opinion.

While the social network relies on third-party fact checkers, including news organization such as AFP, to help it discredit vital misinformation, it will stop short of wading into veracity of political claims.

''We don't believe.........that it's an appropriate role for us to referee political debates and prevent a politician's speech from reaching its audience and being subject to public debate and scrutiny,'' said Nick Clegg, Facebook, vice president of global affairs and communication.

''This means that we will not send organic content or ads from politicians to our third-party fact-checking partners for review,'' he said.

Worries have run high ahead of the November 2020 polls revelations of wide-ranging misinformation campaign on Facebook and other social platforms, largely directed by Russian operatives, in the 2016 elections. [Agencies]