A controversial poll earned Facebook a new set of ‘Friends’: The United States Secret Service. The poll asked, “Should Obama Be Killed?”

When the poll was rolled out, 750 Facebook users responded by ticking four possible answers: Yes, No, Maybe, Yes If He Cuts My Healthcare. Other Facebook users reported the pool prompting the social network to take it down immediately.

In the U.S., it is a Federal offense to threaten the life of the President. That’s why the Secret Service began investigating the incident. Facebook spokesperson, Barry Schnitt, said that the company is fully cooperating with the Secret Service in the ongoing investigation.

Poll Came From Third Party Apps

Apparently, the ‘Kill Obama’ poll was a third party application generated by a user. According to Schnitt the pool did not come from Facebook. It was not a standalone application either dedicated solely for the poll.

Instead, it came from a third party application that allows users to generate their own online poll. As a consequence of the incident, the entire application was taken down by Facebook.

Interactive Appeal

Social networking sites have become very popular because they give the users to generate their own content. This is the main reason why Facebook has millions of active members.

Apps that allow users to generate content can be used for various reasons. Usually, these applications are used by members to engage their friends and have some fun. However, some members are using the apps to generate advertising revenues.

With the appearance of the “Kill Obama” poll, social networking sites are now in a dilemma on how to filter and control these mushrooming third party apps.

Identifying who’s Responsible for the Incident

The developer of the application that was used to create the Obama Death poll said the incident happened due to the freewheeling nature of the Internet. Millions of users are using the application thus making it nearly impossible for the developer to filter inappropriate content.

The specific application in question has more than 3 million active users. Each hour, the app generates thousands of polls. The magnitude of its use poses serious questions about the capability of developers in keeping their apps free of unpalatable user generated content.

The Pros and Cons of Instant Content

User generated content using web based application have several strengths and weaknesses. First of all, user generated content make the online world more dynamic and it brings out the best in people.

On the other hand, instant publication of content also brings out the worst in people. Some people take advantage of web applications to do stupid and even dangerous things.

Improving Response to Inappropriate Content

The Kill Obama poll incident highlighted the fact that response to inappropriate content is improving. Responsible Facebook users were the one who flagged the poll. Facebook, on the other hand, acted swiftly in taking down the offensive poll.

More than that, Facebook also took responsibility and proceeded to fix the problem immediately. The quick resolution of the incident showed that online users as well as social media are constantly policing their ranks to make the web safer for all.

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