Facebook Launches Hub To Help Users With US Poll Related Information

Facebook on Thursday launched a 'Voting Information Center' for the 2020 U.S. elections to help voters easily navigate the poll process. From a report: The hub will connect Facebook and Instagram users to accurate and easy-to-find information about voting wherever they live and help them hold their elected officials accountable, the social media company said in a blog.

hold their elected officials accountable

[fustakrakich]

I don't know, sounds dangerous. Those officials are going to start some nasty investigations against Facebook if they start putting out accurate information

Re:hold their elected officials accountable

[AmiMoJo]

It does seem like a direct attack on the Republican Party. Their entire election strategy, given Trump is 10 points behind, is voter suppression. Anyone helping people vote is their enemy.

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

No Republican who remembers the last week of October, 2016 cares about what polls claim.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

No Republican who remembers the last week of October, 2016 cares about what polls claim.

Some polls claimed that Sanders could beat Trump and that Clinton couldn't...

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[fustakrakich]

Yeah, well, the DNC wasn't about to let that happen!

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[Cid Highwind]

It's only "helping people vote" if they give them accurate information, and Facebook is very *VERY* good at micro-targeting inaccurate information at small segments of the population.

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[MancunianMaskMan]

how dare they suppress voter suppression!

Re:

[Opportunist]

Hold the people who supposedly work for you accountable for what they do? Is that legal?

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

"Polls are worthless" -- D. Trump, 11-2016

Where to put the cross

[flyingfsck]

This is important since most Americans are very simple people and need to be shown exactly where to put the cross on a ballot.

Re:

[Opportunist]

We should just print other ballots. I'd have a suggestion from history here [wikipedia.org]. Worked pretty well, too.

Re:

[flyingfsck]

OK, I see, they should simply pre-print the crosses also, to ensure that the ballot will not be spoiled by off centre marks or hanging chads...

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[flyingfsck]

Come to think of it, a combination of a pre-printing the ballots with appearing ink and using disappearing ink at the booths, will be a brilliant solution. Maybe I should patent it.

Re:Where to put the cross

[Opportunist]

Don't laugh, in local elections around here it's still legal that a party sends you a "voting card" that you can put into your envelope instead of the official one (of course to be counted for the party in question) and that's a valid vote.

It's a service for the older voters so they don't "accidentally" vote "wrong"...

Re:

[gbjbaanb]

It did, so much so that they copied it for the modern times.

This from the 2019 EU elections for commissioners.

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[gbjbaanb]

It did, so much so that they copied it for the modern times.

This from the 2019 EU elections [yimg.com] for commissioners.

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[Opportunist]

At least the boxes were equally sized.

It's hard to put up a sensible election if there's not really a choice.

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[Marxist Hacker 42]

This year, the hacker who breaks the bar code on the ballot and who collects the largest number of signature images, wins.

Why should we bother at all? FB isn't news outlet!

[aglider]

So, if for example everyone starts using XKCD [xkcd.com] or SlashDot as daily news outlet, then either website would need to implement fact checking against fake news, election steering and stuff?

Are you really really serious?

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

My guess- XKCD is a Democratic biased outlet (based on Randall's irrational support for polls and Hillary) and Slashdot is also largely liberal due to the homosexual contingent in the editors.

Re:

[aglider]

I see there's no fact checking on your statements here. SlashDot should be shut down immediately to stop hate speech and fake news.

XKCD isn't democratic, as Mr .Munroe is the local overlord and spreads a lot of misleading information, especially with Science.

SlashDot isn't Liberal either, as the Editors aren't allowing my smart and humorous comments to get through.

Re:

[Opportunist]

As the late George Carlin already know, just imagine how stupid the average person is and realize that half of them is even stupider.

Information or disinformation?

[glatiak]

Given the continuing association between Facebook and Trump, do we assume this poll information thing is good or setting the stage for large scale disinformation at the critical moment?

Targeted by age and location

[chriscozi]

From their blog post: "It’s a nonpartisan effort that’s available to everyone, and we’ll send notifications at the top of Facebook and Instagram targeted by age and location so people of voting age see relevant information in their state." So they are TARGETING populations they have already identified. Hmmmmm. More of the same - who's making the decisions and why? I personally do not trust them, yet. But maybe the D's made an impression on Zuck at the hearings.

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[drinkypoo]

"[...]weâ(TM)ll send notifications at the top of Facebook and Instagram targeted by age and location so people of voting age see relevant information in their state." So they are TARGETING populations

Yeah, they're targeting people who are of legal voting age, and giving them information appropriate to where they live. As opposed to just shitting out "VOTE!" all over Facebook. HOW EVIL!!1!1!!!

FB: We want to help you find accurate information.

[Oligonicella]

Said the fox to the chicken.