Facebook's election 'war room' is now empty
Facebook's vaunted election "war room" is currently empty, but the social network says that doesn't mean it's done fighting election interference.
Bloomberg reported Monday that the so-called war room, the dedicated space at Facebook's headquarters that served as the company's ground zero for fighting election interference, had been "disbanded."
SEE ALSO:Facebook's former security chief stands up for the social network, calls for changeFacebook's war room consisted of a conference room staffed 24 hours a day and served as a command center for the company's various teams fighting misinformation on the platform ahead of election in the United States and Brazil. Facebook's Brazil office also had its own small war room. The room was put together after Facebook was criticized for not doing enough to respond to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Though much of the work that happened in the war room wasn't actually new, executives said that bringing together representatives from the many teams working on election-related issues across the company was essential to its efforts to safeguard elections.
But not everyone was convinced that moving a few dozen desks into a single conference room was enough to fix Facebook's problems. On the same day that several publishers (Mashable included) wrote about the war room, another headline surfaced: Brazilian marketing firms had paid the equivalent of millions of dollars for databases of phone numbers in order to target WhatsApp users with propaganda messages. Clearly, Facebook's misinformation problem was far from solved.
To be clear, Facebook didn't say its war room was meant to be a permanent fixture -- in fact, the actual conference room was only booked until two days after the election, according to a photo taken by Business Insider.
Guy Rosen, Facebook's VP of Product, muddied the waters further when he pushed back on Bloomberg's reporting. He stated that the room, which is not currently in use, "still stands" and that it will be "operational ahead of major events."
Tweet may have been deleted
In a statement sent to Mashable, a Facebook spokesperson said the company plans to create similar war room set-ups for future elections.
"Our war room effort is focused specifically on elections-related issues and is designed to rapidly respond to threats such as voter suppression efforts and civic-related misinformation. It was an effective effort during the recent U.S. and Brazil elections, and we are planning to expand the effort going forward for elections around the globe."
But given how much emphasis was placed on the war room and the work that happened inside of it -- executives routinely compared it to Facebook's hugely successful push to mobile in 2012 -- some onlookers were surprised to see it emptied so quickly.
Facebook's U.S. war room in October, when the company showed off the facility in October.Credit: karissa bell / mashableMuch of the confusion stems from how Facebook first presented the war room to the media. In October, the company hosted a large press event, where reporters were given brief tours of the space. A handful of Facebook executives were also present, and spoke at length about the importance of the war room.
While the U.S. midterms are over, there are other elections happening around the world. And misinformation is far from eradicated, even if specific voter suppression efforts have stopped.
Bloomberg's story also comes amid another a wave of bad news for Facebook. The company was forced to admit that it had hired an outside PR firm to attack the company's critics, including billionaire George Soros. Like the latest Bloomberg story, Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg has borne much of the criticism for overseeing the teams that implemented the PR strategy, which critics say was more focused on deflecting criticism rather than changing systemic issues.
Featured Video For You
What does it actually take to hack an election? — Technically Speaking
(责任编辑:资讯)
- Tesla Robotaxis aren't coming in August, it seems
- Fire station Christmas card features 6 super cute firefighter's babies
- Hamilton salutes home crowd and Mercedes team
- 符师傅的年货故事:快递一箱连州菜心,回家做一桌粤菜
- What to expect from Apple's September event: iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, and more
- 7 Reasons to Explore Boston’s Lesser
- Adorable children's letters adorably fly to the edge of space and back
- North Korea seeks international help for virus testing, newspaper says
- If Apple breaks from Intel, will Macs get cheaper?
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 27
- Congrats to 'Silicon Valley' on this sick Facebook burn
- Indian officials deal blow to cryptocurrencies
- Pakistan, India players may line up together for Afro
-
Expanded police surveillance will get us “broken windows” on steroids.
Across the United States, cities are spending a larger share of the money at their disposal buying a ...[详细] -
Barca seal double swoop for Kessie, Christensen
BARCELONA:Barcelona on Monday announced the signings of Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie and Den ...[详细] -
In wake of Facebook scandal, Tumblr cracks down on Russia interference
The internet is aflame with news of state-sponsored propaganda campaigns, and Tumblr has spoken out. ...[详细] -
'Pokémon Go' players have walked around the earth more than 200,000 times
In the six months since the Pokémon Go mobile game dropped, players have been putting in some ...[详细] -
Update your BIOS: Utilities from Top Motherboard Makers
PSA:Enthusiasts building their own PCs are accustomed to keeping up with latest drivers, especially ...[详细] -
CNN: North Korean leader 'in grave danger' after surgery
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un "is in grave d ...[详细] -
Check out this beautiful sky penis the Marines drew over California
We are delighted to inform you that the United States Marine Corps drew a penis in the sky. Marine C ...[详细] -
Son keen to avoid guide duty in South Korea
LONDON:Son Heung-min has been named South Korea's top athlete for five straight years but he is ...[详细] -
You're playing the latest Call of Mario: Deathduty Battleyardon your perfect gaming PC. You're looki ...[详细]
-
Mercedes are a step closer to winning again: Hamilton
LONDON:Mercedes have narrowed the gap to Formula One leaders Red Bull and Ferrari and may not be too ...[详细]
- A Barbie flip phone is here from HMD
- 全力拼抢枢纽建设新机遇 奋力开创科学发展新局面
- UNICEF raises North Korea aid budget by $3 million to $22.5 million
- Facebook 'lurking' is making you miserable and here's what you can do about it
- NYT Strands hints, answers for August 29
- Check out this beautiful sky penis the Marines drew over California
- Facebook Spaces VR avatars kind of look like real people now