Facebook Starts Offering Related Articles: Another Move to Fight Fake News

Prayank

Facebook has grown to north of 2 billion active users and with the growth in the user base, the company also has growing responsibilities especially since social media platforms have been marred by the nuisance of fake and propaganda-based news.

Can-People-Know-If-I-Screenshot-Their-Facebook-Profile-Picture

Moving towards its goal of getting rid of fake or misleading news from its platform, Facebook has not only implemented some practices in collaboration with other tech industry leaders but is also trying to better inform people on their own platform.

Facebook is now releasing Related Articles which they started testing out earlier this year in April. These additional articles show up below the article that the user engages with, providing them with related information surrounding that topic.

“These additional articles will appear for topics many people are talking about on Facebook, in a unit below the link. That should provide people easier access to additional perspectives and information, including articles by third-party fact checkers,” Facebook had stated at the time of the initial release.

Facebook aims to serve readers with news about the same topic from different publications using this methodology so that people have more information to consume and can make in informed decision on the basis of the same.

The company received a positive feedback on the test they conducted for Related Articles and are rolling it to the public now. The company will make use of machine learning to detect possible hoaxes.

“We will start using updated machine learning to detect more potential hoaxes to send to third-party fact checkers. If an article has been reviewed by fact checkers, we may show the fact checking stories below the original post,” the company added.

The company is also working with certain third-party fact checkers in order to carefully examine popular news items on the social media platform.

The company is hoping that this move will resolve the issue of fake news and misinformation on the platform which had earlier led to a lot of criticism from users and media alike.

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#facebook#social network

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Prayank

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Prayank

Bike enthusiast, traveller, ManUtd follower, army brat, word-smith; Delhi University, Asian College of Journalism, Cardiff University alumnus; a journalist breathing tech these days.
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