Facebook to ban political ads, fact check candidates in lead up to US election

The social media giant vowed to add labels to content seeking to delegitimise the results and make moves to counter premature claims of victory

Opponents worry that Trump will try to sow chaos with false claims, in a vote taking place amid unprecedented health and economic crises, social unrest

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Facebook says it will ban political advertising the week before the US election. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:07pm, 3 Sep 2020Updated: 9:07pm, 3 Sep 2020

Facebook says it will ban political advertising the week before the US election, one of its most sweeping moves against disinformation yet as CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned of a “risk of civil unrest” after the vote.

The social media giant also vowed to fact check any premature claims of victory, stating that if a candidate tries to declare himself the winner before final votes are tallied “we’ll add a label to their posts directing people to the official results”.

And it promised to “add an informational label” to any content seeking to delegitimise the results or claim that “lawful voting methods” will lead to fraud.

“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 finalised, there could be an increased risk of civil unrest across the country,” Zuckerberg said in a post.

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pictured in 2019. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Democrats have long warned that President Donald Trump and his supporters may try to sow chaos with false claims on November 3, when the vote will take place amid unprecedented health and economic crises, social unrest and protests for racial justice.

The US remains the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, and voters are expected to shift to mail-in voting, with an estimated three-quarters of the population eligible to do so.