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Facebook unveils its ‘war room’ — an attempt to stop election meddling ahead of midterms

Click to play video: 'Facebook unveils its ‘war room’ — an attempt to stop election meddling ahead of midterms'
Facebook unveils its ‘war room’ — an attempt to stop election meddling ahead of midterms
WATCH ABOVE: Inside the war room, about two dozen employees, including data scientists and engineers, work to more quickly combat the spread of fake news, hate speech and voter suppression – Oct 18, 2018

Facebook is showing off its new “war room,” a centre for combating fake accounts and bogus news stories ahead of upcoming elections.

It’s the social network’s latest public signal that it takes election interference seriously ahead of the midterms.

Facebook didn’t always take the risk of election interference seriously. Days after the surprise victory of U.S. President Donald Trump, CEO Mark Zuckerberg brushed off assertions that the outcome had been influenced by fictional news stories on Facebook.

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That attitude shifted as criticism of the company mounted.

Facebook offered reporters a peek into the war room to show off its improved ability to prevent foreign interference in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

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But critics fear the war room is more of a publicity stunt than an effective solution.

WATCH: Facebook uncovers attempts to disrupt U.S. elections, possibly linked to Russia

Click to play video: 'Facebook uncovers attempts to disrupt U.S. elections, possibly linked to Russia'
Facebook uncovers attempts to disrupt U.S. elections, possibly linked to Russia

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