Facebook Bans False Information About US Census

By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Facebook on Thursday banned posts or ads that interfere with people taking part in the US census, which will have an online participation option next year for the first time

San Francisco: Facebook on Thursday banned posts or ads that interfere with people taking part in the US census, which will have an online participation option next year for the first time. New policies go into effect next month at Facebook and its image-centric Instagram community, according to an online post by public policy vice president Kevin Martin and civic engagement product management director Samidh Chakrabarti.

"We must do our part to ensure an accurate census count, which is critical for the distribution of Federal funds, the apportioning of electoral representatives and the functioning of a democracy," the executives said. The census interference policy bans deception about when or how to take part in the US census, or the significance of participating, according to the California-based internet titan.

Also banned are ads that portray taking part in the US count of its residents as meaningless or advise people not to be counted. "Next year, all US households will be able to complete the US census online for the first time," said Chakrabarti and Martin.

"This means we have to be more vigilant about protecting against census interference across posts and ads on Facebook and Instagram and help promote an accurate count of every person in the country."