Facebook may form an election commission to deal with political advertising

Facebook is discussing the possibility of forming an election commission with academics and policy experts. The goal is to deal with issues relating to global elections.

Facebook has been dealing with criticism over its handling of political advertisements. The commission will be charged with deciding the viability of political ads and how to handle misinformation around elections, reported The New York Times.

Five people with knowledge of the discussion told the publication that Facebook is expected to announce the commission in fall 2021 to prepare for the 2022 US midterm elections. Facebook had introduced tools and policies meant to provide transparency on August 25. The new tools are meant to control electoral and political ads in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections on October 10.

Tara Fischbach, Facebook's public policy manager for the Levant, told Arab News that Facebook is committed to raise the bar for transparency and accountability on our platform and to help prevent foreign interference in elections.

Two insiders told the Times that a commission will prevent CEO Mark Zuckerberg from being seen as the sole decision-maker on political content. Facebook hasn't yet commented on the issue.