Facebook will not unilaterally remove a misleading ad created by a California gubernatorial candidate who is challenging the company’s fact-checking policies by claiming that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., supports the impeachment of President Trump, Fox News has confirmed.
Titled “#ThanksMitch,” the ad by Adriel Hampton shows a series of spliced clips falsely indicating that McConnell backs the process that would prompt a Senate trial to determine whether Trump should be removed from office. McConnell has vowed to quash a removal effort and has also fiercely condemned Democratic attempts to impeach Trump.
In a statement to Fox News, Facebook didn’t say it would remove the ad. Instead, it said that unlike other candidates, Hampton’s ads would be subject to third-party fact-checking because he deliberately registered as a candidate in order to skirt its fact-checking policies.
“This person has made clear he registered as a candidate to get around our policies, so his content, including ads, will continue to be eligible for third-party fact-checking,” a Facebook spokesperson said. When asked why the social media giant couldn’t just remove the ad itself, the company didn’t immediately respond.
“So bizarre that Facebook tells reporters that third-party fact checkers [sic] can flag my false ads,” Hampton responded on Twitter. “But Facebook’s official policy for those fact checkers [sic] tells them ‘hands off’ [sic] of ads by political parties and politicians. Facebook has lost the plot.”
“It is a massive problem that Trump can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Facebook,’ Hampton said in a statement posted to Facebook. ‘You add that to the fact that his ability to micro-target ads to reach influenceable groups of people with different messages. This is absolutely weaponized lying.’”
McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
Facebook’s fact-checking policy has come under intense scrutiny from politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who complain it allows users to spread disinformation.
Read the rest at: Facebook supports lies
