Social media platforms have become useful places for politicians because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up connecting with their followers and supporters in a direct way. In spite of the fact that this is the case, they can often help spread misinformation due to their lack of security protocols that can keep fake news at bay. A new study from Cerby, a security firm, outlined which platforms performed better than others on that front.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Facebook managed to surprise everyone by receiving a higher score than any other platform. The score for Facebook was 3.34 out of a maximum of 5. Twitter managed to reach the second spot on this list with a score of 2.75, followed by Instagram close at its heels with a total score of 2.68 out of 5.
Interestingly, the two worst performing platforms on this front turned out to be Reddit as well as TikTok. TikTok performed marginally better with a score of 2, but Reddit isn’t far behind with 1.95 and both these scores suggest that controlling misinformation on these platforms would be harder than might have been the case otherwise.
According to Cerby, politicians should aim to use a platform that has a minimum score of 2.6 which would make Facebook, Instagram as well as Twitter suitable options with all things having been considered and taken into account. Reddit and TikTok failed to make the cut, although Reddit heavily criticized the findings and claimed that it has invested heavily in security infrastructure.
One thing to note here is that all of the platforms failed to provide high grade security outside of 2FA. They need to up their game otherwise misinformation can spread rapidly and leave their users misinformed about the issues at hand. Unless steps are taken soon, politicians may no longer be able to use social media in an official capacity without risking the further spread of fake news.
Read next: Internet Usage Dips to Pre-Pandemic Levels After Brief Surge
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Facebook managed to surprise everyone by receiving a higher score than any other platform. The score for Facebook was 3.34 out of a maximum of 5. Twitter managed to reach the second spot on this list with a score of 2.75, followed by Instagram close at its heels with a total score of 2.68 out of 5.
Interestingly, the two worst performing platforms on this front turned out to be Reddit as well as TikTok. TikTok performed marginally better with a score of 2, but Reddit isn’t far behind with 1.95 and both these scores suggest that controlling misinformation on these platforms would be harder than might have been the case otherwise.
According to Cerby, politicians should aim to use a platform that has a minimum score of 2.6 which would make Facebook, Instagram as well as Twitter suitable options with all things having been considered and taken into account. Reddit and TikTok failed to make the cut, although Reddit heavily criticized the findings and claimed that it has invested heavily in security infrastructure.
One thing to note here is that all of the platforms failed to provide high grade security outside of 2FA. They need to up their game otherwise misinformation can spread rapidly and leave their users misinformed about the issues at hand. Unless steps are taken soon, politicians may no longer be able to use social media in an official capacity without risking the further spread of fake news.
Read next: Internet Usage Dips to Pre-Pandemic Levels After Brief Surge
