Facebook Said to Consider Forming an Election Commission

New York Times/ Web Desk:

New York Times reported that Facebook has approached academics and policy experts about forming a commission to advise it on global election-related matters, citing five people with knowledge of the matter, a move that would allow the social network to shift some of its political decision-making to an advisory body.

The proposed commission could decide on matters such as political ads and their viability and concerns around election-related misinformation, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential. Facebook is expected to announce the commission this fall in preparation for the 2022 midterm elections, they said, though the effort is preliminary and could still fall apart.

Social media companies have grappled in recent years with how to handle world leaders and politicians who violate their guidelines. The commission, if formed, would not be the first time Facebook has set up external groups to help it make major decisions. In 2018, the company created the Oversight Board, a panel that includes former politicians, academics, and policy experts to rule on whether Facebook is right to remove certain content from its platform.