Tech Matters: Political fact check: If Facebook can’t, you can

Just a little more than a year out from the 2020 presidential election, we’re bombarded by news and advertisements for political candidates. Fears about foreign countries unfairly influencing the election are running high, as are accusations about candidates’ connections, voting records and lobbyist affiliations here at home.

Just last week both Facebook and Twitter refused to remove ads placed by Donald Trump’s reelection campaign because the ads — widely shown to be false — do not break either social media platforms’ policy. Political ads and statements are considered direct speech,...