The Labour Party has expressed severe apprehension regarding tech behemoth Meta’s meddling in its local and European election endeavours following the temporary suspension of its Facebook and Instagram accounts on Wednesday.
Scheduled for Friday, the local and European votes will determine the representatives and political organisations that will serve in local authority councils and the European Parliament based in Brussels.
There has been prior unease over the capacity of large tech firms to monitor and purge deceptive or incorrect data during election campaigns, as well as the importance these companies place on this issue.
A Labour party spokesperson indicated on Wednesday evening, “Without any prior notice or warning, Meta hampered the Labour Party’s Facebook and Instagram advertising account, a mere 36 hours before the voting commences. The company representatives are yet to provide any clarification regarding the reasons behind the action or a timeline for its resolution. An initial automated response suggest it was due to abnormal activity on the account.”
They further stated, “It is highly alarming that Meta is meddling with our local and European campaigns during such a pivotal time in the elections. This is unfairly placing our candidates at a hindrance compared to their competitors.”
Late Wednesday night, Labour confirmed that it had been notified of the reactivation of its accounts but pointed out that no explanation had been provided for the suspension lasting at least two hours. The spokesperson declared, “Meta’s absence of responses or actions is not acceptable.”
They further questioned, “This incident raises stern doubts about Meta’s system integrity so close to the voting day and their potential to sway elections, with Labour Party promotions now halted while other political parties and candidates can proceed advertising.”
The spokesperson concluded, “This influences our three European MEP candidates, dozens of our local election candidates, our candidate for Limerick mayor and our national voting promotion campaign.”
Meta was reached out for a statement late on Wednesday night.