The tags will start appearing on pages owned by the state-run Russia Today and China’s sales points such as Xinhua. Starting next week, users in the U.S. will begin to see this tag in individual publications of these outlets – tags that will eventually be introduced in other countries.
In an interview Thursday, Facebook’s head of security policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, told CNN Business that the company has taken this kind of approach, so they know more about where the users’ information comes from.
“The concern for us is that the state media combine the agenda-setting power of a media organization with the strategic support of a state,” said Gleicher. Said. “If you are reading the scope of a protest, it is really important to know who wrote this scope and what motivation it is. The purpose of this is to enable the public to see and understand who is behind it.”
Later this summer, Gleicher said Facebook would prevent media-controlled media outlets from advertising in the U.S. before the November elections in the U.S.
Gleicher said that since state media is the only form of local news in some parts of the world, there is no plan to spread advertising bans elsewhere.
Gleicher said Facebook is discussing 65 experts to establish their own criteria to define which experts will be labeled as state-controlled media. These criteria include where the organization’s financing comes from, editorial transparency, ownership structure and governance, internal accountability mechanisms, and third-party independence approval. A business can be financed by the state, but considered independent. While China’s first debut list, including CCTV and Xinhua, Russia Today and Sputnik, will receive the label immediately, Gleicher warned that the list is “dynamic” and will change over time. Businesses can also object to their labels.
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