Facebook eyes “Election Commission” in possible bid to shed political scrutiny

Enlarge / Guests stand next to a Facebook Elections USA sign in the Facebook Lounge ahead of the first Republican presidential debate at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015. (credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Facebook may finally be acknowledging that its handling of elections around the world has been less than stellar. And this time, the company's response could amount to more than just another apology from Mark Zuckerberg.

The social media company is considering creating an election commission" that would guide it on election-related issues around the world, according to a report in The New York Times. The commission would advise Facebook on everything from disinformation to political advertising, and if implemented, the change could be a boon for the company's public relations. The commission would ideally also take some heat off CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who reportedly doesn't want to be the "sole decision maker on political content," the Times reports.

A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment for this story when contacted by Ars.

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