Facebook is cracking down on people and Pages who repeatedly share misinformation.
“Whether it’s false or misleading content about COVID-19 and vaccines, climate change, elections, or other topics, we’re making sure fewer people see misinformation on our apps,” according to a company blog announcement.
Moving forward, when you click the blue thumbs up on a Page of interest, you may receive an alert that independent fact checkers found false content. It’s up to you to go back or follow the Page anyway. Click the “Learn More” link for additional details on Facebook’s fact-checking program.
Since launching in late 2016, Facebook’s verification process has focused on reducing viral misinformation, allowing the social network to take stronger action against Pages, Groups, Instagram accounts, and domains sharing alternative facts. Now, it’s expanding those efforts to include penalties for individual users.
More than simply reducing a single debunked post’s reach in News Feed, Facebook will reduce distribution of all posts from an account that repeatedly shares content disproved by fact checkers.
The social network also announced redesigned notifications for when people share fact-checked content, adding a link to the article used to refute the claim, as well as a prompt to share that story with followers. It also provides a warning that anyone who repeatedly shares false information may have their posts restricted.
Facebook already removes civic, political, and health groups from US recommendations, as well as newly created collectives and those that repeatedly share misinformation. But in March, it took further action against groups that violate company rules, making them more difficult to simply stumble upon.
The path to limiting fake news online, though, is a long one. Facebook last month began testing a new label system for Pages in a bid to stop confusion and “give people more context” about what they’re viewing. Look for descriptions like ‘public official,’ ‘fan page,’ or ‘satire page’ under the poster’s name in the News Feed; tap the tag for more information.
