Facebook: Fake News Alerts on Articles Not Super Effective

Facebook is switching upward its approach to fighting faux news.

Since last Dec, the company has been warning users about questionable news articles by placing a red icon side by side to them. But it seems the alerts take actually had the opposite effect. "Putting a strong prototype, like a ruby flag, next to an article may actually entrench deeply held beliefs," Facebook said in a Wednesday blog postal service, citing academic research.

The company's own inquiry, conducted over the last year, reached similar conclusions.

"We learned that dispelling misinformation is challenging," Facebook product designer Jeff Smith wrote in a separate blog post. "But considering something is marked as 'fake' or 'disputed' doesn't necessarily mean nosotros volition be able to alter someone'due south opinion nigh its accuracy."

Every bit a event, Facebook is dropping the red icon approach and instead focusing on some other tactic: placing the real news nether the false.

Earlier this yr, the company began testing a revamped version of its Related Articles tool, which displays similar manufactures afterward you click on something in your News Feed. Going forwards, this will bear witness you fact-checked news content associated with any topics that appear in your Facebook feed.

The visitor has constitute this assistance users sympathize the context around a slice of news, including hoaxes, without triggering a negative reaction.

"Indeed, we've found that when we show Related Articles side by side to a false news story, it leads to fewer shares than when the Disputed Flag is shown," the visitor said.

Overall, Facebook said its processes to fighting faux news are working. When Facebook's third-political party fact-checkers identify a piece of false news, the company will demote information technology, causing the offending content to lose fourscore percent of its traffic. The company has besides been punishing publishers of fake news by removing their power to advertise on Facebook, and reducing their methods to distribute content.

However, the social media company said it'southward trying to react faster to the problem. Information technology normally takes over three days for 1 of its fact-checking partners to go over a news story, Facebook said.

Without going into details, the company added, "nosotros are starting a new initiative to improve sympathize how people make up one's mind whether information is authentic or not based on the news sources they depend upon."

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/news/18761/facebook-fake-news-alerts-on-articles-not-super-effective

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