Facebook rolls out ‘Candidate Connect’ feature as a visual guide for voters

Social media major Facebook on Tuesday launched a feature ‘Candidate Connect’ through which Lok Sabha candidates can record their poll promises in 20-second videos.

“We actually think the greatest contribution that we can make is to help everybody be more informed. Candidate Connect is essentially a visual guide for voters,” Samidh Chakrabarti, Director – Product Management for Civic Integrity, Facebook, told PTI.

He said Facebook has already started removing fake accounts and “bad actors who mislead people” and has brought in transparency in political advertisements.

The company created ‘Candidate Connect’ based on research that it conducted in the country so that people can directly hear views of candidates in their constituencies, he said.