Contact: Lisa Michaux, Frontpage.org, 703-830-0528
MIDDLEBURG, Va., May 23, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Frontpage.org wishes to alert the public of the apparent censorship of information by Facebook regarding the upcoming referendum on abortion in Ireland:
Facebook announced on May 8 that it would take it upon itself to monitor the Republic of Ireland's May 25 referendum on abortion by banning all ads on the topic from foreign groups.
While Facebook claims to be acting in the spirit of democracy and transparency, its new policy isn't in line with Irish law. The 1997 Electoral Act prohibits foreign donations for "political purposes" to Irish politicians or organizations but doesn't say anything about foreigners buying online ads. Facebook claimed that protecting "the integrity of elections and referendums from undue influence" was "an issue we have been thinking about for some time."
In its May 8 statement, Facebook also announced that it would enlist the help of TheJournal.ie, an online newspaper for help with fact-checking. "Stories rated as false by TheJournal.ie will see their distribution significantly reduced," the statement said. Who, however, fact-checks the checkers?
