Facebook offers poll influence

FACEBOOK is offering political parties direct support to help them win elections.

The social media giant has set up a unit to help politicians with their campaigns as it seeks to boost spending on advertising and increase its own political influence.

Staff members provided by Facebook were embedded in Donald Trump’s campaign to become US president.

The firm has also boasted of helping the Scottish National Party “achieve an overwhelming victory” in the 2015 election, when it took 56 of 59 Scottish seats in Westminster.

A former senior employee who ran the European arm of Facebook’s politics unit raised concerns this week about how the firm is working with political parties.

Elizabeth Linder, who quit her job in May last year, said: “It’s not Facebook’s job to be so close to any election campaign.” The firm’s government and politics unit has helped politicians seeking election in countries including the US, India, Brazil, Germany and the UK.

In the US, it offered to second staff members to both Mr Trump and Hill- ary Clinton’s presidential campaigns, although the defeated Democrat candidate declined to accept this.

Before the UK general election in June, Facebook contacted more than 5000 candidates and agents to offer them free training sessions.

Its emailed invitation to a workshop said it would help candidates “understand how to get the most out of our tools for the campaign period and beyond”.

But the firm also risks accusations that it could seek to take advantage of its relationship with politicians to push its own agenda on issues such as internet regulation.

Earlier this month, Facebook was as accused of fuelling a tide of vile abuse against Tory general election candidates in the UK.

The committee on standards in public life identified social media giants as “the most significant factor” in harassment.

The SNP said last night: “Social media is an increasingly important way to speak directly to voters. Digital campaigning is at the heart of our efforts.”

Facebook declined to comment.

Pictures: AFP Venezuelan bullfighter Jesus Enrique Colombo in action in Cali, Colombia. A fisherman pushes off at dawn in Gaza and (above) a Palestinian youth during a protest in the West Bank.