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Comment by forgingahead | Hacker News Reader

For everyone doing all the hand-wringing about Facebook, doesn't existing media (newspapers, TV, cable, etc) already NOT "fact check" ads run on their networks?

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False advertising is normally a crime (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising)

I think (suspect) the trick FB is using is not unlike Uber / Airbnb where they fall just outside regulation. Meaning that sponsored content on FB is just "self-regulated"

Anecdotally, can you remember the last time a big (any?) company got nailed for false advertising? I remember reading marketing material my old company would send out and I knew the application didn't do $the_thing they said it did.

Actually yes [1], but penalties seam to only be imposed on foreign companies.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/03/hyundai-and...

Part of the skill of advertising/marketing/branding/campaigning/influencing is knowing how to mislead without actually lying.

None of the three are "just outside regulation." They are so far outside it they invest millions lobbying to change the laws so their illegal activity is no longer considered such.

Usually you have organizations like advertising standard authorities, who will absolutely crack down on untruthful ads.

The ones in Australia and in the UK come to mind and have serious bite in confronting offenders.

Add to that that ads in newspapers are clearly identifiable as ads, while this is much more intermingled in social media.

the UK one has no teeth.

Traditional media reviews the ads they run. Most probably don't fact check, but no reputable newspaper would run anything that doesn't at least pass a sniff test.

Is the existing media reaching one third of the world population and part of a single company? You have to keep in mind when talking about facebook that is a machinery of proportions never seen before.

More 'Whataboutism' ?

Also can you back up your statement about not fact-checking before anyone claims otherwise ?

Unfortunately more people consume Facebook than others, so its a prime target.

Also I would point you towards another article :

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-advertising-...

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