Voters in the poll, by a big majority, want Facebook to keep foreign powers from running ads during a U.S. election, and think "Facebook should hold itself to the same standard as other media companies to only publish accurate stories about candidates during election season."
Facebook
© AP Photo/Noah Berger, FileIn this April 18, 2017, file photo, conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference, in San Jose, California
The public has a tough message for Facebook: The social-media giant needs to stop fake news - especially when it's funded by Russia.

According to a new poll commissioned by the Factual Democracy Project, a group trying to fight the spread of intentionally fabricated news stories on social media, 73 percent of voters say Facebook should not allow foreign powers to run ads targeting Americans during an election.

It's not just Russian-linked fake news the public is concerned about either: 78 percent of people said they want Facebook to prevent inaccurate stories from being widely shared on its platform.

The poll's findings come after reports that Russia funded ads on Facebook targeting select groups of voters in 2016, with the intent of helping Donald Trump win the presidency and sowing division in the country at large. Those reports have put the spotlight on Facebook, with critics charging the company needs to do more to combat inaccurate reporting.


Comment: There is no proof that Russia interfered in US elections.The United States has active duty military troops stationed in nearly 150 countries and interfered in at least 45 countries during last 70 years.
US electoral interference
© DOV H.LEVIN, Carniegie Melon University

"Their consumers, at least in this poll, think of them as a media company," said Melissa Ryan, founder of Factual Democracy Project. "And they want them to keep fake news off the platform."

Ryan is a longtime Democratic political operative, an alum of EMILY's List and Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign who this year started FDP after an online fundraising campaign.

FDP used Public Policy Polling to conduct the survey. The Democratic firm interviewed 865 registered voters from Sept. 22 to Sept. 25, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

In an interview, Ryan emphasized that Facebook should be held to the same standard as traditional media companies that are responsible for vetting the accuracy of stories before they publish.

The poll, she said, shows the public feels the same way: 73 percent of voters said they think "Facebook should hold itself to the same standard as other media companies to only publish accurate stories about candidates during election season."


Comment: If the public also feels the same way, they wouldn't have voted for Republican candidate Donald Trump.


"If you're getting news from social media, it makes sense you would think of it as a news service," Ryan said.

On Wednesday, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg - in part responding to criticism earlier in the day from President Donald Trump - said he had hoped to "create a platform for all ideas."


Comment: Another Russiagate fail: Infamous Facebook ads catered to both sides of political spectrum


"Trump says Facebook is against him," Zuckerberg said. "Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like. That's what running a platform for all ideas looks like."


Comment: Facebook said in early September that Russian operatives spent $100,000 on ads. Hillary Clinton raised $1.2 billion during the campaign and spent almost a billion dollars. If $100,000 dollar can make a difference to a billion-dollar campaign, then we have to wonder whether Russians are geniuses or Americans are stupid, or both.

Mark Zuckerberg: There was no Russian meddling in US election on Facebook


He went on to write that although disinformation on Facebook might have played a role in the campaign, Facebook was still an overwhelmingly positive force on the democratic process.

"The data we have has always shown that our broader impact - from giving people a voice to enabling candidates to communicate directly to helping millions of people vote - played a far bigger role in this election," he said.

Facebook officials, along with executives at Google and Twitter, are expected to testify in the coming months about the 2016 election.

The poll found that 37 percent of voters had a favorable view of Facebook, compared with 36 percent who didn't. Another 27 percent didn't have a view of the company.

Among Trump voters, only 29 percent had a positive view of Facebook, compared with 49 percent who didn't. The service was more popular with Clinton voters, 44 percent of whom had a favorable view of the company.