Israel asks Facebook to roll out anti-election meddling measures earlier than planned

The Central Elections Committee is asking Facebook roll out its anti-meddling measures in Israel ahead of the April 9 elections earlier than planned.

A month after it was revealed that the Shin Bet security agency had intelligence proving that a foreign country intends to influence the upcoming election via online meddling, committee chair Justice Hanan Melcer is requesting the social media giant “re-examine the possibility of bring forward, as much as possible, its preparations on the subject,” in order to “preserve the integrity of elections and reduce unfair influence on voters.”

Last month, Facebook announced it would introduce rules that require all Israeli ads dealing with national or political issues to verify the source and identify who paid for the ad. A spokesperson for Facebook on Monday declined to say if the company would accede to Melcer’s request and introduce the tools early, saying only that it would provide an answer directly to the Central Elections Committee “in the near future.”

— Raoul Wootliff