Election 2020: Facebook Removes Advance NZ Page For Repeatedly Sharing Misinformation



[ad_1]

Billy Te Kahika at a protest in Auckland's Aotea Square in September.

PHIL JOHNSON / Things

Billy Te Kahika at a protest in Auckland’s Aotea Square in September.

The Advance NZ party’s Facebook page has been removed from the social media site.

A Facebook spokesperson said the party’s page had repeatedly broken the rules on sharing misinformation about Covid-19.

“We do not allow anyone to share misinformation on our platforms about Covid-19 that could cause imminent physical harm,” the company said in a statement.

“We have clear policies against this type of content and we will enforce them regardless of anyone’s political position or party affiliation.

READ MORE:
* Election 2020: Billy Te Kahika Truth Campaigns. But does he live for it?
* Billy Te Kahika kept Public Party cash under his bed, but denies wrongdoing
* Billy TK Jr’s New Zealand Public Party under investigation for use of party donations
* The Conspirators’ Choice: How the Farthest Fringes of Politics Are Making a Game for the Center

“We removed the Advance New Zealand / New Zealand Public Party Facebook page for repeated violations of this policy.”

The party’s co-leader, Billy Te Kahika, confirmed that the page had not been published in a statement Thursday, saying he was “horrified.”

“If Facebook wants advertising revenue from New Zealanders, then Facebook must recognize freedom of speech in our nation,” he said.

An investigation by Stuff Circuit, False profit, recently expressed concern about the truth message of the Te Kahika campaign.

Te Kahika, who is co-leader of Advance NZ and leader of his own party, the New Zealand Public Party, is campaigning on a platform of honesty, transparency and accountability, but the party has been accused of spreading misinformation around to Covid-19. , as well as other conspiracy theories.

CIRCUIT OF THINGS

Is Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika Jnr who he claims to be, a man of Christian values ​​and integrity?

A recent study by election researchers at the University of Victoria suggested that 31 percent of Advance NZ posts on Facebook were considered half-truths and 6 percent were completely false.

Facebook said it removes Covid-19 misinformation “that could contribute to imminent physical harm, including false claims about cures, treatments, the availability of essential services, or the location and severity of the outbreak.”

He said it focuses on claims where if someone trusts the information, they are more likely to become ill or not receive treatment.

It also removed false claims that 5G technology causes symptoms or contraction of Covid-19 or encourages attacks on 5G masts, he said.

Yesterday, the social media giant also said it was cracking down on anti-vaccination ads.

[ad_2]