Pinterest, known for its DIY recipes, interior decorating ideas, and fashion tips is armoring itself against political and census misinformation and the 2020 presidential election.
Although not among the big four social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube), Pinterest is making sure to avoid any blunders that its social media counterparts faced in the past. In 2019, Facebook came under heavy scrutiny regarding Black voter suppression tactics that flooded its platform in the midst of the 2016 presidential election.
Pinterest told The Washington Post that it will take down any content that misinforms viewers about when, where, or how to vote. It will also remove any disinformation regarding the census. The Post reported:
“‘This is an Internet problem,’” said Aerica Shimizu Banks, Pinterest’s lead for federal policy and social impact. The only way to address misinformation broadly, Banks adds, is for tech companies and government officials to work together.”
Pinterest has yet to encounter any misinformation posted on their site and its policies are purely proactive.
“Thankfully we haven’t had too many issues yet,” Pinterest spokeswoman Jamie Favazza said, according to The Post. “But that’s the point of policy, to get ahead of it and make sure that we have policies that we work against so that if we do start finding more of this stuff, that we can effectively address it.”
With the 2020 Census set for April 1, Pinterest will display a headline census banner on search result pages that will allow users to easily access the official U.S. 2020 census website.
