Hey there --

We all know the saying: those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 

During the 2016 presidential election, we witnessed Facebook continually deny a disinformation problem on their platform. Mark Zuckerberg even said it was a “pretty crazy idea” that the abundance of fake news on the platform could affect electoral outcomes. He later regretted dismissing election concerns.

Yet, Facebook still hasn’t learned its lesson. The social media giant is fueling the spread of disinformation in Germany in the lead up to their upcoming federal elections.

Right now in Germany, the Russian state-controlled news outlet, RT Deutsch, is all over Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube promoting misleading information about the electoral system and vaccine efficacy — all while propping up the far-right party.

RT Deutsch has "racked up roughly 22.7 million interactions on Facebook” since March. That's higher than mainstream German publishers including Bild and Axel Springer. Could you imagine a Kremlin-backed news outlet garnering more engagements than The New York Times or The Washington Post before an American election?

It’s a frightening reality considering the global dangers of disinformation to democratic systems of governance and information ecosystems. And it’s even more frightening considering the lack of response from Big Tech companies like Facebook.

That’s not stopping us. We’re keeping a close eye on the upcoming German elections and holding Facebook’s feet to the fire. We’ll keep you posted on all the latest if you sign up for what we’re calling our “Inside Scoop” emails:

Taking on Big Tech isn’t easy, but with you by our side, we can keep up the fight to secure meaningful structural reforms to our information ecosystem to foster healthier democracies.

Let's get to it,

Nicole
Co-founder & Executive Director
Accountable Tech