Zuckerberg Details Steps To Combat Fake News On Facebook

Facebook’s fake news problem has been highlighted time and again following the elections. One report even suggested that the social network had created a fix for the issue but top executives didn’t implement it over fears of backlash. Co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously had a strong position on the matter but he’s singing a different tune now by detailing some of the steps being taken by Facebook to combat fake news.

Zuckerberg has previously said that since Facebook is a tech company and not a publisher, it can’t really be held responsible for the content that floats on it. He later said that the assumption that fake news on Facebook may have helped Donald Trump win the election was a “crazy idea.”

He later acknowledged that there was a fake news problem but did mention that over 99 percent of what people saw on Facebook was true and that “only a very small amount” could be categorized as fake news.

Zuckerberg tone has changed now. He says that Facebook has been working on this issue for a very long time and that the problem itself is both technically and philosophically complex. He said that Facebook will now rely on more automation to detect what people will flag as fake news to flag it automatically.

Additional steps include making it easier to report false content, working with journalists and third-party verification organizations on fact-checking, and putting warning labels on content that has been flagged as false. These steps are over and above Facebook’s announcement that it would not allow fake-news purveyors to make money through its advertising network.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: Facebook, mark zuckerberg