Facebook’s 4 Point Plan to Tackle Fake News

On Thursday, Facebook announced a new plan to tackle fake news on the social media network.

How is Facebook going to stop fake news?

Facebook Fake News
Facebook announced a new plan to tackle fake news on the social media network. (Image courtesy of Facebook.com)

Now, Facebook is working on a new strategy to tackle Fake news. Facebook’s Adam Mosseri outlined four primary objectives to handle fake news, which include:

  1. Making it easier for Facebook users to dispute stories
  2. Down ranking disputed stories
  3. Changing their algorithm based upon user activity
  4. Eliminating spoof websites and “disrupting” fake news website earnings

The first step included the opportunity for Facebook users to flag content they believe is fake. The goal of Facebook is to make it easier for someone to report something as a fake news story.

In addition, Facebook will begin working with third-party organizations to fact check news stories. According to reports, Politifact, ABC News and Snopes will be the third-party companies tasked with fact-checking stories shared on the social network.

Also, a “disputed” story will show up on the news feed with a disclaimer saying that the facts of the story have been disputed.

Facebook says they will monitor the number of times a story is shared on the social network through “informed sharing.” Facebook explains that if people read an article and do not share it, it raises a red flag. Consequently, Facebook is going to start testing a new algorithm that will allow affect articles that do not get shared after a Facebook user reads the article.

The social network also explained they plan on “disrupting financial incentives for spammers.” Facebook will attempt to accomplish this by eliminating spoof websites and analyzing analyzing websites to detect “where policy enforcement actions might be necessary”.

Ultimately, Facebook says they are working on creating a better and meaningful experience on the social network and the company is reports working on the fake news issue until it is no longer a problem.

Can Facebook stop fake news?

Paul Horner, the owner of a fake news website, reported earning approximately $10,000 a month in advertising revenue by publishing and sharing fake news content. He explained to the Washington Post that he believes Donald Trump was elected into office thanks to him.

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook Fake News
Stock Photo: Jelenia Gora, Poland – February 25, 2016: New Facebook like button 6 Empathetic Emoji. Facebook is a well-known social networking service. Mark Zuckerberg’s page account on FACEBOOK (Bakhur Nick / Shutterstock.com)

During the election, the most popular false news story was a fake report that the Pope endorsed Donald Trump for president; the story would later receive 960,000 shares.

When reporters asked Mark Zuckerberg about whether misinformation shared on Facebook helped Donald Trump get elected, Zuckerberg called the notion crazy.