This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
Facebook has stepped up its efforts to monitor and prevent disinformation ahead of Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections on January 11, 2019.
Beijing has increased Taiwan's isolation since President Tsai Ing-wen took office three years ago, as her party refuses to acknowledge Taiwan as part of "one China".
Facebook's public policy director, Kate Harbath, said protecting elections is a major priority for the company, and they are heavily focused on the upcoming elections in Taiwan, as well as polls in countries including Sri Lanka and Singapore.
Facebook has 40 teams focused on elections, working to increase transparency, reduce disinformation, and remove inaccurate voting information or content that violates community standards.
The company will introduce strict criteria for political ads in Taiwan, requiring advertisers to confirm their identity and location, and disclose who is responsible for the ad.
Facebook has also been working with third-party checkers, including an independent fact-checking organisation in Taiwan, and will step up a system to clearly label information from state-controlled media outlets.
