New research suggests there were massive and rising amounts of “misinformation” on Facebook last year of the same kind that led Big Tech gatekeepers such as Amazon and Apple to shut down Parler after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
The findings from a liberal advocacy group come just two days before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress for a hearing on “social media’s role in promoting extremism and misinformation.”
Avaaz, a nonprofit organization and frequent Facebook critic, said its research showed the technology giant had the tools and capacity to better protect its users from dangerous and misleading content but did not use them until significant harm was done.
“We have over a year’s worth of evidence that the platform helped drive billions of views to pages and content that confused voters, created division and chaos, and, in some instances, incited violence,” said Fadi Quran, Avaaz’s campaigns director.
Avaaz identified 267 pages and groups, in addition to “Stop the Steal” groups, with a combined following of 32 million people that spread violence-glorifying content ahead of the 2020 election. The nonprofit organization also claims to have found groups known for pushing conspiracy theories, such as Boogaloo, QAnon, and militia pages, still active on the platform.
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Liberals have criticized Facebook for not taking any responsibility for the attack on the Capitol despite significant evidence of violence being incited on the platform in the days before the attack.
On the other hand, many prominent conservatives have said recently that Big Tech companies, pressured by liberals, used the Capitol insurrection to justify the unfair censorship of Republicans and the removal of platforms popular with conservatives, such as Parler.
Parler is currently battling Big Tech companies, such as Apple, Google, and Amazon, that have banned the platform for allegedly failing to identify and remove violent content on its platform. Parler claims the actions taken by technology gatekeepers against them are unfair, anti-competitive, and politically motivated because they have not taken action against Twitter or Facebook for similar violent content on their platforms.
Facebook is highly critical of the methodology and evidence behind Avaaz’s misinformation research and asserted its commitment to solving the issue of harmful content on its platform.
“This report distorts the serious work we’ve been doing to fight violent extremism and misinformation on our platform,” spokesman Andy Stone emailed the Washington Examiner.
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He said Facebook had “done more than any other internet company to combat harmful content,” including banning 900 militarized social movements and tens of thousands of QAnon pages, and he added that although the company’s “enforcement isn’t perfect,” it is working with outside experts to ensure its policies are up to date.`
