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Facebook might finally stop treating politicians differently

They will still have some exemptions, however.

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As a result of former President Donald Trump’s ban on the platform, Facebook is planning on ending the special treatment that it gives to politicians on the platform. This comes as a recommendation from the Oversight Board as part of its investigation into the Trump ban.

According to a new report from The Verge, Facebook has decided to change up its policies in regards to politician pages on the platform. The social giant came under fire after last month’s Oversight Board investigation revealed some of the exemptions that politicians have on the platform.

The Oversight Board is an independent group tasked with keeping Facebook in check. Last month, the Board investigated the platform’s ban on Trump. While the Board found that the ban was justified, it also criticized the public treatment given to politicians on Facebook. The Oversight Board believes that politicians should be treated the same as any other individual profile on the platform.

Now, Facebook plans to head more in that direction. The platform’s historical neutrality when it comes to politicians came under scrutiny during Trump’s presidency. Many people felt that Facebook should have done more to stop the messages of division and hate that Trump was spewing, most notably after the attack by his constituents on the US Capitol Building.

According to the article mentioned above, the social media giant will soon begin to disclose any “newsworthy” exemptions it places on politician’s posts. And while politician’s posts still won’t be checked by the company’s independent fact-checkers, they will now be checked against a larger list of Facebook’s rules violations.

This is an interesting shift for Facebook, which has generally been on the side of not moderating politicians at all. It’s amazing what one destructive president can accomplish in just four years.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Staff writer at KnowTechie. Alex has two years of experience covering all things technology, from video games to electric cars. He's a gamer at heart, with a passion for first-person shooters and expansive RPGs. Shoot him an email at alex@knowtechie.com

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