Facebook is set to end a policy that has shielded politicians from content moderation rules applying to the general public, The Verge first reported on Friday, June 4. Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg have, for a long time, defended content and ads posted by politicians, with the CEO saying that Facebook shouldn’t be “arbiters of truth.”

That policy has led to some politicians, particularly former US president Donald Trump, spreading questionable claims. The issue came to a head in January when Facebook suspended Trump’s account as it incited the January 6 US Capitol siege. 

The Verge reported that Facebook has plans to shed light on its strike system for accounts breaking content rules, including a notification for users informing them of receiving a strike. The company will also start disclosing when it uses its newsworthiness exception to certain content posted by politicians, even if the said content may technically violate content rules. 

Currently, while Facebook itself doesn’t take down potentially violative content by politicians, third-party fact-checkers can tag links or other sources that politicians post, which can result in a reduction of distribution.

The Verge, however, added that posts directly made by politicians still won’t be subject to review by third party fact-checkers, and will be handled by in-house Facebook moderators. The key change here is that politicians’ posts will be subject to more content moderation rules than ever.

The impending policy change comes after the Facebook Oversight Board issued a statement on May 5, calling the platform’s ban on Trump inadequate and inconsistent. – Rappler.com