1. Facebook has permitted a large network of Facebook pages and groups — with names like Trump's Deplorable Army, To The Death Media, and One Angry Conservative — to spread disinformation about voting in the 2020 election to millions of people.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
popular.info/p/large-networ…
2. The network operates by funneling traffic to Conservative Brief, an obscure right-wing website.
Conservatives Brief distorts reports from mainstream sources to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the upcoming election.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
Conservatives Brief distorts reports from mainstream sources to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the upcoming election.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
3. Over the last 90 days, the network of pages that promote Conservative Brief has generated 30.65 million engagements. That's more engagement than the main New York Times Facebook page generated over the same period of time (26.48 million).
popular.info/p/large-networ…
popular.info/p/large-networ…
4. Here is how it works. On July 13, the AP reported that California had rejected about 100K absentee ballots submitted in the March presidential primary — about 1.5% of the total. Most of these ballots, 70,330, were rejected because they arrived late.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
popular.info/p/large-networ…
5. This report was then aggregated on the Conservative Brief on July 14. Author Martin Walsh wrote that the story "lends credence" to Trump's claim that mail-in voting "can pave the way for mass fraud." There is no basis for this claim.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
popular.info/p/large-networ…
6. The Conservative Brief story was then shared 48 TIMES across a network of 20 PAGES with the text: "Dems CAUGHT — 100,000 Illegal Ballots Found."
Overall, this false piece has been shared more than 100,000 times on Facebook.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
Overall, this false piece has been shared more than 100,000 times on Facebook.
popular.info/p/large-networ…
7. Facebook is a $780 billion company and its says that preventing disinformation about voting is a priority but it is unable to root out a network like this.
My newsletter, Popular Information, is doing the work.
Sign up --> popular.info/subscribe
My newsletter, Popular Information, is doing the work.
Sign up --> popular.info/subscribe
8. A few days ago, Zuckerberg pledged Facebook would "attach an informational label to content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome...for example, by claiming that lawful methods of voting will lead to fraud."
popular.info/p/large-networ…
popular.info/p/large-networ…
9. None of the 48 posts of this California ballot story had the informational label attached.
After Popular Information sent Facebook 8 examples, Facebook attached the label to those 8 posts.
The other 40 posts still don't have a label
popular.info/p/large-networ…
After Popular Information sent Facebook 8 examples, Facebook attached the label to those 8 posts.
The other 40 posts still don't have a label
popular.info/p/large-networ…
10. In response to this story, Facebook sent Popular Information the following statement.
"After an initial investigation, we found there’s enough evidence to merit a deeper review. While that's ongoing, we're taking enforcement action against the Pages posting this content"
"After an initial investigation, we found there’s enough evidence to merit a deeper review. While that's ongoing, we're taking enforcement action against the Pages posting this content"
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