Census effort gets $7.6 billion funding, ‘friended’ by Facebook – By Michael Macagnone (Roll Call) / Dec 19 2019
Spending bill passed on same day Facebook pledges to remove false census posts, ads
The Census Bureau got a slew of new tools Thursday in preparation for next year’s census count, making congressional allies and advocates cautiously optimistic about the effort.
The same day Congress sent the White House a sweeping spending package that includes $7.6 billion for the Census Bureau, Facebook announced it would remove incorrect or misleading census information from its platform next year. The social media giant’s announcement follows steps by Google and the Census Bureau itself to keep online outreach efforts on track for the 2020 count.
Those results will influence the distribution of political power throughout the country for a decade, as well as $1.5 trillion in federal spending annually. Members of Congress pushing for more active involvement from social media companies, including Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, took a “trust but verify” approach to Facebook’s move Thursday.
“I have been a real critic of these internet platforms, and let me take this opportunity to say that in this instance they appear to be doing the right thing,” Schatz said.
Facebook joined several other internet companies by announcing it would remove information from its platform that misrepresents the census or the census process, even if posted by a politician. The company also said it would work with the Census Bureau and local officials to help track any distortion about the census online.
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