Here’s a surprising scoop: Politico has just been introduced to a part of the internet that’s not heavily censored. This revelation came through an article by Rebecca Kern, titled “WhatsApp Channels, used by millions, has no clear election rules”. Kern seems distressed that millions are able to access information without having rules to dictate their thoughts during an election year.
Just launched by Meta, the behemoth of tech, the new WhatsApp Channels platform. It’s been used by half a billion people worldwide for more than eight months. The twist? No explicit rules against election-disinformation. A lack of regulations that, according to lawmakers, disinformation pundits and ex-Meta employees, could potentially jeopardize in a year of significant voting around the world.
Why is this a problem, you ask? Because consuming information without media gatekeepers could signify a “grave risk”, according to Kern.
Kern discusses further, how the Meta-owned messaging platform, originally for personal communication and group chat, has transformed into a public platform. However, despite Meta’s adequate policies against voter interference and election misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, they’ve not implemented similar restrictions on WhatsApp Channels, opting for more general community rules.
In an insistence on the hazards of election misinformation, Kern notes the criticisms Meta has received due to its apparent double standards of disinformation policies between its other platforms and WhatsApp Channels where none exist. Kern quotes Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Meta’s unfulfilled commitment to this issue:
“Meta’s continued failure to implement explicit election misinformation policies on its public WhatsApp Channels threatens the integrity of democratic processes in the United States and across the globe.”
Schiff advocated for Meta to apply the same policies used on its other platforms to WhatsApp Channels to limit the spread of election-related falsehoods.
However, Schiff’s credibility on misinformation is laughable, given his track record on the Trump-Russia Collusion situation.
The irony should not be lost on us. The same Politico warning us about unchecked election news floating in via WhatsApp, is the one that prolifically spread the most significant misinformation of the 2020 election. Its national security reporter, Natasha Bertrand, in October 2020 reported a misinformed story about Hunter Biden and Russian disinformation, fuelled by unverified intel sources.
Whether it’s the pot calling the kettle black or just hypocrisy, it’s plain to see. The uproar about unchecked “misinformation” by Politico without admitting their role in the 2020 election debacle is certainly a pill too hard to swallow. Here’s to hoping they walk the talk when it comes to election misinformation policies this year.
