News

Misinformation & Representation: How Facebook Gives State Lawmakers a Pass to Spread COVID Misinformation
MapLight | November 11, 2021
A Decode Democracy review of official Facebook pages finds multiple egregious examples of state lawmakers across the nation who are using the platform to spread or endorse misleading information about the pandemic or to promote distrust in COVID vaccines and masks, despite scientific validation that both are safe and reduce transmission.
A New Plan to Empower Voters and Fight Disinformation
MapLight | November 08, 2021
Decode Democracy is launching a new Voter Empowerment Plan, a set of policy proposals to protect voters against the harms caused  by online disinformation and safeguard our elections.
Despite Republican Opposition, the Freedom to Vote Act Must Move Forward
MapLight | October 21, 2021
Senate Republicans blocked a vote this week on the Freedom to Vote Act, landmark legislation that would improve our democracy by protecting people’s right to vote, end partisan gerrymandering, limit the influence of money in politics, and increase transparency for political ads online.
It’s Time to Send Facebook a Message by Logging Off
MapLight |
We're joining an effort to show Facebook that the health of our democracy is more important than corporate profits.
Facebook Whistleblower’s Revelations May Spark the Changes We Need 
MapLight |
Last month, a Facebook whistleblower working with the Wall Street Journal revealed startling internal Facebook documents outlining the extent to which the company prioritizes its own profits to the detriment of its users' mental health and the overall health of our democracy.
Secrecy at All Costs: A Timeline of Facebook’s Obstruction of Research 
MapLight |
For years, it’s been clear that Facebook is no friend to transparency. The company has gone to extreme lengths to limit researchers’ access to data and even hide its own internal research when it doesn’t like the results.
Artificial Intelligence Plays a Critical Role Fueling Online Disinformation
MapLight |
Social media algorithms and machine learning are contributing to the rise of online disinformation and pose a growing threat to our democracy.