Common Cause Calls On Social Media To Strictly Fight Disinformation, Like Trump's Big Lie

Social media is partly responsible for the spread of disinformation. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - Social media companies including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok must act urgently to dampen the effects of false information, including Donald Trump's "Big Lie" that his 2020 defeat was the result of election fraud. This was called for by rights groups in their congress on Thursday, May 12.

The social media platform is pulling away from policies designed to combat election disinformation following the 2020 presidential election which was won by Democratic President Joe Biden. More than 100 advocacy groups, led by Common Cause, allege this in a letter to social media executives.

According to the group, a wave of disinformation then led to the January 6, 2021, deadly attack on the US Capitol by supporters of then President Trump and the disinformation continues to multiply, they said, citing research and public reporting.

"High-level disinformation spreaders and other malicious actors continue to use social media platforms to spread messages that undermine trust in elections," read the letter sent to the chief executive and signed by more than 100 groups led by Common Cause, as quoted by Reuters.

"Candidates used the Big Lies as a platform board to pre-emptively declare election fraud to dispute the outcome of the 2022 election," they wrote. "It undermines American democracy by undermining confidence in the integrity of our elections."

The letter, which was also sent to the CEOs of Google, Instagram LLC and Snap Inc, also urged companies to take important steps, including prioritizing fact-checking and providing real-time data access to external researchers and watchdogs or the media.

Priority should be given to combating the "Big Lie" alleging that election fraud cost Trump the White House in 2020, the letter said.

The groups are also seeking greater transparency on political advertising, law enforcement practices and algorithmic models.

Others signed include voting rights and electoral integrity groups as well as the Center for American Progress, the League of Women's Voters, Greenpeace, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Arab American Institute.