Two technology titans have signed a declaration promising to protect the integrity of Canada’s electoral process.
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have each signed a declaration that covers a dozen initiatives aimed at protecting the Canadian federal election this fall and future elections. The pledge includes removing phoney social-media accounts and fake online content.
While the Government of Canada is claiming victory in Ottawa, other technology giants such as Google and Twitter declined to sign the voluntary declaration.
The "Canada Declaration on Electoral Integrity" was announced just before an international committee of politicians began a three-day meeting in Ottawa aimed at figuring out how best to protect citizens' privacy and democratic fairness in the age of social media.
Committee members will hear this week from representatives of Facebook, Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Amazon and Mozilla -- on what they're doing, or not doing, to prevent online abuse and the spread of misinformation.
Politicians from all the major political parties in Canada have come to the conclusion that government needs to regulate technology because they can't be relied upon to regulate themselves.
However, by signing onto the declaration, Facebook and Microsoft are signalling their willingness to voluntarily tackle some of the problems that politicians fear threaten democracies in Canada and around the globe.
