Facebook has intensified its efforts in fighting fake news, particularly in the countries holding their elections. The social media giant removed 30,000 fake accounts in the lead up to the French election and did so while partnering with newsrooms. They also ran full-page advertisements in French newspaper to educate the public about spotting fake news.
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This time, Facebook has set its eyes in the UK before its snap election, targeting tens of thousands of potential fake accounts that were suspected of spreading misinformation. The heightened fight against fake news started in April, when the social media company announced its newest tool in spotting suspicious accounts. It analyzes the accounts’ patterns of activity, including sudden increase in volume and repeated posting. By monitoring these accounts, Facebook hopes to stop the spread of fake news, spam, and other “deceptive content,” said Facebook.
Even before the fight against fake news was taken to France and the UK, Facebook also tried to fight misinformation in Germany by starting a newspaper blitz, running full-page ads in German newspapers.
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This time in the UK, Facebook is eyeing putting its ads in The Guardian, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph, which details 10 pointers on identifying fake news. These include being a skeptic headline reader, investigating the source, verifying the news by checking in with other sources, being cautious of look-alike URLs, and more.
Facebook is also partnering with the UK fact-checking charity Full Fact and First Draft, a reporting nonprofit company, to assist in distinguishing fact from fiction all throughout the election period.
The same thing happened in the Netherlands as Facebook partnered with Nu.nl and Leiden’s Nieuscheckers group to check posts that readers flagged as potential fake news. If both parties agreed that it is indeed fake, the post was flagged as such.
Both Facebook and Google came under fire when they were blamed for their role in spreading fake news.
Sources: ( money.cnn.com , engadget.com , dutchnews.nl )
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