Meta has announced it will continue its fact-checking program in Australia ahead of the upcoming federal election.
It comes after the tech giant announced it would end third-party fact-checking across its platforms earlier this year.
Meta also said it will work with the Australian Associated Press and the Australian Electoral Commission on election-related content.
A federal election must be held by 17 May.
Fact-checking
Meta first contracted third-party fact-checkers in 2016 to identify “hoaxes” and “false claims” across its platforms.
The initiative involved more than 90 organisations across dozens of countries.
In January this year, Meta announced it would remove independent fact-checking moderators from its platforms in the U.S, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
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At the time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the fact-checking system had led to accidental censorship.
Aus election
In a departure from its U.S. parent company, Meta Australia said its fact-checking partnership with the AAP will continue.
Meta public policy director Cheryl Seeto said the Australian arm has “taken steps to further mitigate risks associated with... deepfakes and AI-powered disinformation campaigns.”
Debunked posts will still have warning labels, and Meta will “remove the most serious kinds of misinformation”.
Meta will also work with the AEC “on a number of fronts” to boost “voter empowerment,” including a media literacy campaign before the election.
Seeto said these efforts put Meta “in a good position to protect the integrity of the Australian federal election”.
An AEC spokesperson told TDA that social media platforms offer ways to promote “election participation in avenues that are not available through advertising”.
