Social media platforms tightening restrictions on election postings
Posted November 3, 2020 8:47 am.
In what could be a record-breaking 24 hours for social media platforms, the companies are tightening restrictions on election postings, including those of presidential candidates.
Twitter says it won’t let the candidates claim victory for themselves, as the worries persist that a clear outcome won’t emerge with the initial vote tabulations, with a record-breaking number of mail-in or absentee ballots.
The social media platform will require any tweet from some accounts declaring victory to cite either an announcement from state election officials, or a public projection from at least two national news outlets that make independent election calls.
Tweets that include premature claims of victory will be flagged and will direct people to the company’s official U.S. election page.
Facebook has followed with a reminder of its own similar guidelines.
Twitter’s policy was updated Monday, after reports that President Donald Trump privately told associates he intends to declare victory if the results show him ahead, even if the outcome isn’t yet known.
Trump denied the story.
