WASHINGTON – Democracy Fund president, Joe Goldman, and managing director, Tom Glaisyer, issued the following statement in response to Twitter’s announcement that it will no longer run political or advocacy ads:
“Twitter’s decision yesterday is a positive development, but it doesn’t go far enough —our political discourse remains broken on social media platforms. Companies like Twitter must adopt and enforce a code of conduct against hate speech and disinformation, and we must continue to hold them accountable until they do.
The time for half-measures and minor reforms has passed. Simply ending a portion of an advertising policy without providing transparency, addressing misinformation, and ending racially biased algorithms only deals with one part of a larger issue. In the lead up to the 2020 election, we need bold leadership from all platforms to strengthen our digital public square and preserve a healthy democracy.”
Two years ago, Democracy Fund and the Omidyar Network published a report, asking “Is Social Media a Threat to Democracy?” The report chronicled the role of social media platforms in spreading misinformation and divisive propaganda during the 2016 election. Democracy Fund continues to invest in programs, people and organizations that are working to create a robust public square that serves our democracy.