Meta, an American multinational technology conglomerate that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has announced that a center for elections operations will be activated ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey scheduled for May 14.
The Türkiye Elections Operations Center will bring together experts across the company including engineering, legal, research and analysis teams to identify potential threats across its apps in real time and respond to them quickly.
“To help ensure the Turkish election on May 14th is safe and secure, we’re investing in people, partnerships and technology to reduce the spread of misinformation and remove harmful content across our apps,” the company said.
Meta said the company is working with more than 90 independent third-party fact-checking organizations around the globe, including Doğruluk Payı and Teyit in Turkey.
According to an index newly created by Freedom House, Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections are among the most vulnerable in the world.
Four candidates have qualified to run in Turkey’s presidential election, according to a preliminary list announced by the country’s election authority, the Supreme Election Board (YSK).
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is seeking re-election, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Homeland Party leader Muharrem İnce and Sinan Oğan, the candidate of a bloc of four far-right parties, are the four candidates who have qualified to run in the presidential election.
