Facebook enhances security features ahead of elections in several countries
Terming 2018 a "big year" for elections in several countries including India, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it has deployed technology tools like artificial intelligence and thousands of people to work on security as the company's "major focus" is to protect the integrity of the elections on its platform. Zuckerberg said Facebook was enhancing its security features to prevent trolls from spreading information.
Facebook recently slammed over a major data breach
Recently, the social media giant has been slammed over a major data breach scandal by Cambridge Analytica, a British firm linked to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. "In the US Senate Alabama special election last year, we successfully deployed some new artificial intelligence (AI) tools that removed Macedonian trolls who were trying to spread information during the election," said the Facebook founder Zuckerberg.
Now, 15,000 people working on security and content review: Zuckerberg
Yesterday, Zuckerberg said, "We now have about 15,000 people working on security and content review and we'll have more than 20,000 by the end of this year." "This is going to be a big year for elections ahead with the US midterms and elections in India, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Hungary, and others. This is going to be a major focus for us," he said.
Upcoming Assembly elections in Indian states in 2018
Several Indian states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh are scheduled to go for polls this year and the general elections are due in a little over a year from now.
Facebook took big steps by taking down Russia's IRA pages
Zuckerberg said Facebook had taken big steps by taking down Russia's Internet Research Agency (IRA) pages that were targeting the US. "Since we became aware of their activity after the 2016 US elections, we've been working to root out the IRA and protect the integrity of elections around the world. There have been a number of important elections that we've focused on," Zuckerberg added.
In 2016, AI tools took down over 30,000 fake accounts
"A few months after the 2016 elections, there was a French presidential election and leading up to that we deployed some new AI tools that took down more than 30,000 fake accounts," the Facebook CEO said. In German election, the company developed a new playbook for working with the local election commission on share information on threats it received, he said.
We're going to continue working very hard: Mark Zuckerberg
"We've more work to do here and we're going to continue working very hard. There's the Mexican presidential election, there are big elections in India, Brazil, Pakistan, and Hungary and a number of other countries and the US midterms, of course," Zuckerberg said.
Three different types of activity that require strategies for fighting
The social media giant's founder further pointed out three different types of activity that required different strategies for fighting. Firstly, there are economic actors, who are basically spammers; the second are governments trying to interfere in elections, and then the third is just polarisation and sometimes lack of truthfulness in what you've described as the media, Zuckerberg said.
