A recent investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has uncovered that numerous Facebook accounts, many of which are fake or stolen, are being used to run political ads during India’s current election season. This finding contradicts Meta’s policy that bans the sale, purchase, or exchange of Facebook accounts for such purposes. According to the TTP, a significant black market exists where Facebook accounts authorized to run political ads are being openly sold, which poses a serious threat to the transparency of electoral campaigning in India.
The implications of this illicit activity are far-reaching, especially considering the scale of elections in India, which are among the largest in the world. The election process, which started last month and runs until June 1st, sees campaign spending that could reach up to $16 billion, a portion of which is funneled through social media platforms like Facebook. The country’s political parties and candidates leverage Facebook’s massive user base in India to target voters, making the platform a critical tool in electoral strategies.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, claims to enforce strict measures to maintain election integrity. It requires account administrators to submit government-issued IDs and a residential mailing address to get authorization to run political ads. Furthermore, Meta insists that all ads related to social issues, elections, or politics are held to higher standards of authenticity and transparency on both Facebook and Instagram. Despite these measures, the ease with which users can sell accounts with ad-running privileges undermines these protocols and facilitates potential election interference.
The issue of misuse of social media platforms for political gains is not new and has been a point of contention in other global elections, including allegations of interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The ongoing situation in India highlights the challenges Meta faces in its efforts to combat misuse while trying to demonstrate its commitment to protecting elections globally. The case also underscores the tension between Meta and local governments, such as India, where political entities have previously manipulated social platforms for electoral advantage, often without facing repercussions from the platform.
