Facebook will ban election “misinformation” ahead of the midterms this year, including satirical posts which claim people can vote via text message.
According to Reuters, the ban will include “false information about voting requirements and fact-check fake reports of violence or long lines at polling stations ahead of next month’s U.S. midterm elections.”
Satirical posts about voting are common around elections, with most of them jokingly claiming that people can vote via text, stating the wrong voting date, or advising men to abstain from voting for social justice reasons.
In September, Hollywood star James Woods was locked out of his Twitter for posting such a tweet.
“We’re making a Woman’s Vote Worth more by staying home,” declared a fake, satirical Democratic Party advertisement posted by Woods. “#LetWomenDecide… #NoMenMidterm.”
This month, Facebook banned over 800 accounts and pages ahead of the midterms, accusing them of creating “misinformation.”
Many of the pages and accounts were conservative, libertarian, and anti-war.
This month, it was also revealed that Facebook was attempting to stop users from posting links to competing social network Minds, claiming the website was “unsecure” and forcing users to complete a CAPTCHA before being able to link to the platform.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington, or like his page at Facebook.