Facebook Is Going to Use Its Most Powerful Asset to Identify Fake News — You
Facebook has had a rough go of it lately. And honestly, it’s easy to see why; after all the fake news talk going around, Zuck + Co haven’t been the best at tackling the situation. At first, they were reluctant to even admit that maybe fake news in your Newsfeed affected the election. Then they acknowledged that fake news was maybe a bigger problem than they’d thought, banning fake news sites from making money from ads (but not outright banning them from Facebook).
Some Facebook users recently spotted surveys beneath articles asking them to choose whether they thought the sources were questionable — or even just clickbait.
Facebook is asking whether this @PhillyInquirer headline is fake? pic.twitter.com/cCUpwtvQlS
— Chris Krewson (@ckrewson) December 5, 2016
Depending what you and others say about the article, it could be flagged as “questionable” to other viewers. This is a small step, but when enough people care about (and participate in) a topic, great things can happen.
The surveys haven’t rolled out to everyone, so in the meantime, keep both eyes open. You’re the best fake news detector there is.
What do you think of Facebook’s new BS-busting method? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Mashable, photos via Oscar Wong/Getty)