Meta has suspended one of Facebook’s so-called “independent fact checkers” after the organization was caught censoring information to manipulate the vote in an upcoming referendum.
The “fact checker,” RMIT University’s RMIT FactLab, was exposed in a recent report from Sky News in Australia.
A “fact checker” is typically a failed left-wing journalist who has been given powers to police and censor other people on Facebook.
The power allows these so-called “fact checkers” to overrule scientists, academics, and other renowned professionals if their professional opinions don’t align with their own political beliefs.
This incredibly biased system has seen conservative views and opinions that question the official narrative purged from social media.
The issue is not new, however, and has been escalating for years.
The report from Sky News exposed efforts by RMIT to silence dissenting voices in the Australian media.
The allegations suggest that activist “fact-checkers” have been “hijacking” coverage tied to a contentious Australian referendum campaign, known as “the Voice.”
The investigation shines a light on the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, a proposal to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
This entity would aim to voice matters concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Parliament and the Executive Government.
Facebook’s manipulation of public opinion has been the center of the scandal.
According to Sky News, findings bring to light policy violations, questionable expired fact-checking credentials, and suspected conflicts of interest.
This investigative journey started with an exploration into Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg’s claim that Facebook’s fact-checking is managed by the independent International Fact Checking Network.
The report found its fact-checks largely target content leaning towards a “no” vote on the Voice referendum in an effort to sway the outcome.
Meta has now suspended RMIT in response to the exposé, temporarily at least.
The manipulation effort was so widespread that many are now arguing that the democratic debate ahead of the vote has been disrupted by RMIT’s actions.
A number of “no” campaigners as well as some conservative media in Australia believe the public has not had access to both sides of the argument, and the vote cannot be legitimate.
Previously, reports said that the university allegedly had a $740,000 annual contract with an Ireland-based Meta subsidiary.
In confirming the temporary suspension of RMIT FactLab as a “fact-checking” partner, Meta cited accusations coming from Voice referendum opponents.
However, a spokesman also said that RMIT was not properly accredited with the Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
According to reports, the organization’s credentials had expired but RMIT’s activist fact-checkers still had unlimited access to Facebook’s censorship tools.
“The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) requires participating organizations to demonstrate a commitment to nonpartisanship and fairness,” the Meta spokesperson said.
“The IFCN will determine whether RMIT FactLab’s expired certification should be reinstated.
“Considering both the nature of the allegations against RMIT and the upcoming referendum, we have decided to suspend RMIT from our fact-checking program pending the IFCN’s decision.”
Meta has made the IFCN’s “blessing” a requirement for a third party to become one of its “fact-checking” partners.
Not only is the Big Tech giant outsourcing “fact-checking,” it is also leaving it to the IFCN to decide whether RMIT FactLab should have its expired certification reinstated.
The IFCN, an organization that clearly has no grasp on free debate, will get to decide whether the activist group is indeed “nonpartisan and fair” while flagging content as false.
Meta will wait for the IFCN to issue its “ruling” and then decide whether RMIT will be allowed back.
Meanwhile, the IFCN seems to have, unsurprisingly, already cleared the “fact-checker” as being nonpartisan and fair.
RMIT will soon be back in business on Meta’s platforms and free to censor dissenting views and police unwanted speech.
Nevertheless, RMIT insists that its fact-checking operatives are “misinformation and disinformation” experts.
The organization claims it isn’t trying to “rig the referendum” by censoring views.
But Senator James Paterson was one of those who complained to Meta.
In a letter, the lawmaker says that RMIT was blocking people’s right to “reasonably disagree and not be restricted.”
Paterson also warns that a foreign-headquartered private company “might be interfering with the free speech of Australians.”
READ MORE: United Nations Is Building ‘Digital Army’ to Censor Online ‘Disinformation’
