Social media is facing more criticism by experts who warn that it is used to spread misleading stories and is undermining democratic processes. But how accurate are these claims?
It's all about what you choose to believe. What makes users uncomfortable is the lack of factual details or even evidence that support the claims being made.
Democrats claim the sites do not properly censor 'fake news' that is often about their candidates, while Republicans say the tech companies themselves censor conservatives.
Facebook however has been working on addressing some of their privacy concerns by working with media organisations to fact check more accurate stories on the site. As an example, last month the social media giant made the decision to stop allowing fake news stories to be posted in its Trending section.
But critics say social media is being blamed by people who lose elections, using them as a poor excuse for bad a campaign or candidate. In some cases, users have even resorted to calling for an investigation into election fraud using Facebook 's social media channels.
The company is currently facing complaints from members of the public who say the company has become a breeding ground for false claims , especially after the last election in the UK.
We can expect to see similar complaints from the public who believe that Facebook is not doing enough to prevent the spread of inaccurate or misleading information on their platform ahead of the upcoming general election.
As such , the company has promised to spend a lot of time and resources to address the issue . This will include a massive campaign to ensure that all stories posted on Facebook are verified.
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Author: Stephen Hannan
New York Newsroom
