On Thursday, October 19th, Facebook Canada will detail new efforts intended to make its platform safer and more secure leading into the 2019 federal election.
Announced in September, the initiative comes in response to an analysis from Canada’s cyber agency, the Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE). Back in June, the CSE warned that it’s “very likely” that Canada will be targeted by hackers in the 2019 election.
The move also comes following criticism levelled against Facebook for its role in spreading divisive content in the time leading up to the November 2016 U.S. presidential election. In September, the company confirmed it discovered thousands of ads centred on sensitive topics such as race and sexuality were shared by accounts likely operating out of Russia.
In the October 19th meeting, Facebook Canada head of public policy Kevin Chan will join with Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, and a panel of experts to discuss the social media giant’s efforts, as well as discuss citizen literacy and authentic online civic engagement.
The roughly two-hour event will be streamed via Facebook Live starting at 11:30am and can be viewed here.
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