MEMO: Facebook Is Failing Its Own Election Tests

Facebook has failed to deliver on a slew of public commitments it made before, during, and after Election Day — and the damage is far from over.

In September 2020, Mark Zuckerberg said that for Facebook, the U.S. presidential election “is not going to be business as usual.” In October 2020,  Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg made an even bolder commitment: “Today we can say it: we are ready.” The weeks since have shown how woefully unprepared Facebook was to protect the integrity of the 2020 election. Despite warnings from election and technology experts, Facebook failed to meet a slew of important policy commitments it made to the public, including on misinformation, false claims of victory, advertisements, false claims of voter fraud, and incitement of violence.

When evaluating the company against its own promises, a clear picture emerges: Facebook’s measures were inconsistent, reactionary, and inadequate — often written to avoid responsibility and prioritize the protection of its own image above American democracy.

Read Accountable Tech’s full memo: Facebook Is Failing Its Own Election Tests