TikTok and Facebook allowed ads containing blatant lies about the US election just weeks before the vote. This was revealed by an investigation that questioned the social platforms' policies for detecting misinformation.
Human rights group Global Witness sent eight ads containing false claims about the election to Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, Meta-owned Facebook and Google-owned YouTube to test their ad systems.
The ads sent contained outright false claims about the election - such as that people can vote online - as well as content promoting voter suppression, inciting violence against candidates, and threatening election workers and processes.
According to Global Witness, TikTok "fared the worst," approving four of them despite its policy banning all political ads.
Social network Facebook has approved one of the ads submitted.
"It's shocking that companies are still endorsing completely debunked and blatant misinformation on their platforms," said Ava Lee, head of digital threats at Global Witness.
The study comes as researchers warn of the growing dangers of misinformation - from both domestic actors and foreign influence operations - during the tense election race between Democratic vice presidential contender Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
"In 2024, everyone knows the danger of election misinformation and the importance of quality content moderation," Lee stressed.
"There is no justification for these platforms to still put democratic processes at risk," she added. | BGNES
