Day. The ban will likely last for a week, though
Facebook says it could run longer if necessary.
And it plans to label posts that cast doubt on
election results with links to official information.
The social network has already banned
messages that promote carrying of weapons
to polling places or that attempt to organize
“coordinated interference” with voting. Now it
will also ban the use of “militarized language”
in connection with calls for poll-watching.
Under the new policy, which is not retroactive,
President Donald Trump won’t be able to
encourage supporters to be unofficial poll
watchers as part of an “army for Trump,” as he
said in a tweet this week.
The changes — less than three weeks before
Election Day and with voting happening already
— show how quickly social media companies
must respond to existing and anticipated threats
to the election process. Trump’s campaign and
its GOP allies have been going to new lengths
to contest election procedures and question
the integrity of mail-in ballots. Trump has
also refused to commit to a peaceful transfer
of power if he loses, though both parties
have rejected his comments and vowed a
peaceful transition.
Facebook said it has been preparing for this
election since 2016, when its platform was used
by Russian agents trying to intervene with the
U.S. political process. It also noted that more
than 200 elections have taken place worldwide
since then.
While Facebook and other social media
companies have strengthened their policies and
enforcement since, the threats to the election