How should social media handle the election?
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Election Day is here, and in the next few days or weeks, we'll know who won - but for lots of people, tonight isn't just about choosing the next president. It's also a stress test for online platforms and a measure of how carefully they can handle information when the stakes are this high.
By now, we know what failure could look like. In one nightmare scenario, a candidate (likely Trump) could preemptively declare victory before the votes are counted. In another, a fast-spreading rumor could cause serious offline unrest - like a viral hoax or misleading video that encourages vigilante violence. Since election night might not end with a clear winner, sites could be dealing with these threats for days.
The biggest platforms have laid out a...