The social network is now applying some of those techniques to handle new kinds of trolls. While this sounds like an aggressive response from Facebook, we’ll have to wait and see if the company can really curb the spread of misinformation on its platform. And at the same time, we just learned that it’s made some serious missteps in policing the network too.
In a series of investigations published by the Wall Street Journal under the project name Facebook Files, some striking details of how the company is faltering at making its platform healthier have emerged.One of the reports highlighted details from an internal document describing how Facebook is ignoring employees’ flagging of pages belonging to or run by drug cartels, human traffickers, and arms dealers. It notes that while some of these pages operating in developing countries are removed, many more are operating freely, and the social network is not paying attention.
Another report mentions that in 2018, Facebook tried to change its algorithm to increase “meaningful interactions” between friends and family, but ended up making them argue with each other.
Over the years, Facebook has grown into a behemoth of a social network that has the power to change social and political streams in different parts of the world. While it’s not easy to weed out harmful content and groups amongst millions of posts, the company needs to put its billions of dollars of revenue to use to maintain a healthy network.
Time and time again, internal documents and investigations have proven that in several instances, the company was just sitting around and waiting for someone to point out that they faltered. Right now, it seems like it’s doing a better job announcing its remedial actions.