Misinformation running rampant on Facebook has officials concerned about election disruptions

Derek Bowens has ne'er had specified an important job. He's nan director of elections successful Durham County, North Carolina, 1 of nan most-populous areas of a authorities that's progressively viewed arsenic important to nan 2024 statesmanlike contest.

So erstwhile a erstwhile precinct charismatic emailed Bowens successful July to pass him of a station containing voting misinformation that was spreading virally connected Facebook, Bowens quickly recognized that he whitethorn beryllium facing a crisis.

The post, written arsenic if from an authority connected nan subject, said voters should petition caller ballots if a canvass worker, aliases anyone else, writes thing connected their form, because it would beryllium invalidated. The aforesaid incorrect connection was dispersed connected Facebook during nan 2020 election, but nan level flagged nan contented astatine nan clip arsenic "false information" and linked to a communicative that debunked nan rumor by Facebook's fact-checking partner, USA Today.

Bowens said nary specified tag appeared connected nan post, which was wide capable that nan North Carolina State Board of Elections had to rumor a property release connected Aug. 2, informing voters that mendacious "posts person been circulating for years and person resurfaced precocious successful galore N.C. counties."

"It was spreading and location wasn't thing happening to extremity it until our authorities put retired a property merchandise and we started engaging pinch our constituency connected it," Bowens told CNBC successful an interview.

The elections committee wrote a station connected Facebook, telling voters to "steer clear of mendacious and misleading accusation astir elections," pinch a nexus to its website. As of Wednesday, nan station had 8 comments and 50 shares. Meanwhile, aggregate Facebook users successful states for illustration North Carolina, Mississippi and New Jersey proceed to stock nan ballot misinformation without immoderate notification that it's false.

CNBC flagged posts pinch nan mendacious accusation to Meta. A institution spokesperson said, "Meta has sent them to third-party fact-checkers for further review."

Across nan U.S., pinch 40 days until nan Nov. 5 election, authorities and section officials opportunity they are puzzled by what to expect from Facebook. Like successful nan past 2 statesmanlike predetermination cycles, nan dispersed of misinformation connected nan societal web has threatened to disrupt voting successful what's expected to beryllium different razor-thin title decided by thousands of voters successful a fistful of states. Recently, a Facebook station containing a mendacious declare astir Haitian immigrants eating pets successful Springfield, Ohio, ballooned retired of power and gained resonance aft it was repeated by Republican nominee Donald Trump successful a debate.

In 2016, Facebook was hammered by Russian operatives, pushing retired mendacious posts astir Hillary Clinton to bolster Trump. In 2020, nan tract hosted rampant misinformation astir politically charged issues for illustration Covid treatments, masking and voter fraud.

The large quality this go-round is that Facebook has mostly removed itself from nan equation. In 2021, Meta began pushing governmental and civic contented little successful its algorithms, which contributed to a dramatic diminution successful news postulation past year for publishers. Earlier this year, Meta announced that it would deprioritize nan proposal of governmental contented connected Instagram and its Twitter-like Threads service, a move nan company said much aligns pinch what consumers want to spot connected their feeds.

Still, posts pinch mendacious accusation tin dispersed quickly crossed wide swaths of users on pinch comments that amplify nan misinformation, and authorities agencies person small expertise to counteract them, because they person specified constricted scope connected nan platform.

And while Facebook has mislaid immoderate of its prominence owed successful portion to nan emergence of TikTok, peculiarly among younger audiences, nan tract still had much than 200 cardinal regular users successful nan U.S. and Canada astatine nan extremity of past year, nan past clip it issued location numbers. Facebook and Instagram are mostly some successful nan apical 10 among nan most-visited websites and most-popular apps successful nan U.S, according to nan Pew Research Center and Similarweb.

Interviews pinch astir a twelve location and statewide authorities officials pinch election-related duties uncover nan challenges they opportunity they're having utilizing and monitoring Meta's apps, arsenic good arsenic different societal networking services for illustration X, now owned by Elon Musk. The officials opportunity they're moving overtime to guarantee nan information and integrity of nan predetermination but opportunity they're receiving small effective thief from nan companies, which scaled backmost their spot and information teams arsenic portion of broader cost-cutting efforts that began successful 2022.

Meta yet trim 21,000 jobs, including successful spot and information and customer service, complete aggregate rounds of layoffs. As CNBC reported past year, nan institution dissolved a fact-checking instrumentality that would person fto news services for illustration The Associated Press and Reuters, arsenic good arsenic reliable experts, adhd comments astatine nan apical of questionable articles arsenic a measurement to verify their trustworthiness. Reuters is still listed arsenic a fact-checking partner, but an AP spokesperson said nan news agency's "fact-checking statement pinch Meta ended backmost successful January." 

The Meta spokesperson told CNBC successful a connection that nan company's "integrity efforts proceed to lead nan manufacture and we person astir 40,000 group globally moving connected information and information — much than we had during nan 2020 cycle." The institution says it now partners pinch astir 100 third-party fact-checking groups crossed nan globe "who reappraisal and complaint viral misinformation successful much than 60 languages."

Like North Carolina, Arizona is 1 of nan 7 plaything states expected to find whether Trump aliases Vice President Kamala Harris, nan Democratic nominee, triumph nan presidency.

That reality has put Taylor Kinnerup successful nan spotlight. Kinnerup is nan communications head for nan recorder's agency of Maricopa County, location to much than half of Arizona's population.

Kinnerup and her colleagues usage societal media to administer up-to-date accusation astir election-related procedures, for illustration erstwhile residents tin message successful early ballots aliases wherever to find their voting center. It's a peculiarly delicate occupation pursuing Trump's mendacious claims of voter fraud successful Arizona successful 2020, erstwhile nan authorities went bluish for nan first clip successful a statesmanlike title since 1996.

Given Maricopa County's precocious floor plan during nan predetermination season, nan authorities often attracts attraction from Facebook users crossed nan country. Many of them, Kinnerup said, are older and still time off comments astir debunked conspiracy theories, specified arsenic nan false claim that Sharpie markers invalidate ballots.

Kinnerup said her squad places "extreme accent connected changeless connection and transparency to nan public," actively sharing election-related contented crossed Facebook and Instagram, peculiarly during highest hours erstwhile it's much apt to scope voters.

A fewer months ago, Kinnerup discovered that her office's Facebook and Instagram accounts were nary longer linked, meaning she couldn't entree nan apps utilizing nan aforesaid credentials, aliases automatically schedule a azygous station to spell crossed some sites.

Ahead of nan superior elections successful July, Kinnerup said she struggled to resoluteness nan relationship issues pinch Meta. She said she engaged successful a monthslong email speech pinch galore representatives, but recovered location was "no measurement to really make progress." When she did get a response, it was small much than a canned statement, Kinnerup said.

Meanwhile, Kinnerup is engaged overseeing media and constituent tours of nan county's predetermination accommodation to thief dispel mendacious notions that nan process is being rigged arsenic her agency continues to woody pinch nan fallout of nan 2020 election. Kinnerup said her squad led much than 20 specified tours successful June.

"I couldn't beryllium dealing pinch Meta each azygous day, because I had to beryllium giving tours," Kinnerup said. The clip spent trying to find a hole "was a immense rumor for me," she said.

By nan clip Kinnerup said she'd resolved her relationship issues, successful mid-July, she and her colleagues had wasted countless hours connected nan problem, leaving her squad to "feel we were put successful a position wherever nan afloat connection we were trying to get retired wasn't ever afloat there."

Even pinch her office's Facebook and Instagram accounts moving again, Kinnerup says their integrated societal media posts make small engagement, and her squad has utilized sponsored ads to thief grow scope crossed nan platforms. Her squad has continued pinch nan installation tours, starring 25 this month.

Meta's spokesperson said nan institution has been hosting training sessions for authorities and section officials since February, informing them of devices for illustration voting alerts, which let them to nonstop messages to group successful their area.

"There are aggregate channels by which officials tin scope us, including teams responsible for circumstantial states and regions, and our expertise to respond to them remains unchanged," nan spokesperson said.

Kinnerup said she was not "aware of immoderate of this," and successful her twelvemonth successful nan domiciled has "never received immoderate nonstop connection pinch Meta that I'm alert of."

Bowens told CNBC successful a follow-up email that he "was not alert of nan sessions aliases nan tools."

Congress is good alert of imaginable problems. During a Senate proceeding past week connected election threats, Meta's caput of world affairs, Nick Clegg, fielded questions astir nan company's predetermination preparedness. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, expressed interest astir nan information and integrity of "down-ballot races astatine nan authorities level, region level, section level."

Intelligence agencies, Collins said, person told senators that bad actors from China could beryllium focusing connected disrupting location races arsenic opposed to nan statesmanlike election, and that authorities and location officials "are acold little apt to person nan kinds of briefings that we person aliases to get accusation from Homeland Security aliases nan FBI connected really to beryllium connected alert."

Clegg said Collins was "right to beryllium concerned" and that Meta's "vigilance needs to beryllium constant."

"It can't conscionable benignant of highest astatine nan clip of nan statesmanlike elections," Clegg said.

For Scott McDonell, nan Dane County clerk successful nan plaything authorities of Wisconsin, it's been difficult to stock meticulous voting accusation connected Facebook from his office's charismatic authorities account, which only has 608 followers connected Facebook. McDonell said his posts get very small traction compared pinch years past.

"If I nexus to a communicative astir predetermination security, 3 group will spot it," McDonell said. Posts that see pictures do marginally better, he said, because "Facebook likes pictures."

"Don't nexus to an article, that will spell to zero," he said.

McDonell said galore of his colleagues person "gotten abused" truthful overmuch connected Facebook successful caller years that they don't station astir elections anymore.

"Basically, your mean region clerk is terrified of it, and they conscionable do it to stock babe photos," McDonell said.

In Los Angeles County, Jeramy Gray, nan main lawman of nan registrar-recorder/county clerk office, said mini authorities offices often deficiency nan resources needed to efficaciously utilize societal media and to troubleshoot problems.

Meta "recently put a squad together to assist" his office, Gray said, adding that nan institution appears to beryllium nan "most mature" of nan large platforms moreover if it's not a "model partner."

"What I would for illustration to spot is conscionable much engagement from them, astatine slightest 3 to 4 months from a ample nationalist election, for them to scope retired to cardinal stakeholders astatine nan authorities and section level to really talk astir what they tin do aliases what they're doing," Gray said.

Bowens, successful North Carolina's Durham County, said nan tech platforms could beryllium overmuch much adjuvant successful assisting his agency and others arsenic they navigate done immoderate of nan disorder astir what type of contented is acceptable.

Bowens said he's concerned astir acting excessively aggressively because of imaginable censorship issues and recognizes there's a grey area betwixt misinformation and citizens exercising their First Amendment rights.

"You know, we've sewage a very divers predetermination strategy successful this country," Bowens said. "What was connected that station whitethorn very good beryllium existent successful different state. Therefore, is it misinformation?"

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