Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced plans to fight false content and deepfakes in Australia. With a national election coming up in May, the company wants to limit misinformation on its platforms. They stated they would remove any content that could cause violence or interfere with voting.
Cheryl Seeto, Meta’s Head of Policy in Australia, explained that they will add warning labels to content checked by fact-checkers. This means that misleading information will be shown less in users’ feeds. Meta will also work with news agencies like Agence France-Presse to help check content for accuracy.
Meta is also dealing with deepfakes, which are fake videos or images made by AI that look real. They plan to remove or lower the ranking of deepfake content that breaks their rules. Users will be asked to disclose when they post or share AI-generated content. Seeto said it’s important for people to recognise when they see realistic AI material.
As the election nears, polls show a close race between the Liberal-National coalition and the ruling Labor party. Meta’s efforts in Australia are similar to what they have done in other countries during elections. The Australian government is also planning new rules for big tech companies, putting more pressure on Meta to keep things in check.