Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has promised that its new Twitter-like network, Threads, will identify accounts associated with governments. At a hearing on foreign meddling in Australia, Josh Machin, Meta’s head of public policy for the country, made the announcement.
Meta, according to Machin, will “expeditiously” tag government-related accounts on Threads. He said that “fact-checking” and other efforts will be made by the corporation to counteract the spread of false information.
Several Australian legislators, who have been critical of Meta’s handling of foreign meddling in the past, have expressed their satisfaction with the announcement. Some, though, have cautioned that Meta should do more to prevent the dissemination of false material on its platforms.
How precisely Meta will tag government-affiliated accounts on Threads remains to be seen. The announcement, however, is a welcome development in the ongoing effort to counter foreign influence on social media.
Here are some more specifics on the news:
- Threads accounts associated with the government will be identified by Meta as “State-affiliated media.”
- Each account’s profile will prominently show its respective label.
- Meta will also verify the veracity of posts from official government channels.
- The corporation has not yet finalized its plans for implementing the labeling and fact-checking processes.
Given the criticism Meta has received in the past, this new approach to non-American users and content is crucial. Facebook and Instagram, it is alleged, are being used by state-backed entities to promote disinformation.
In an effort to encourage transparency and accountability on Meta, account labels have been applied to those associated with governments. Consumers would be better equipped to identify and avoid items that get official government endorsement.
Though promising, this is hardly a silver bullet for ending foreign interference on social media. Meta could do more to combat the dissemination of incorrect and misleading information. To provide a comprehensive solution, it has to work with other technology companies and government agencies.
