Facebook is now warning Internet users who share articles published more than 3 months ago. With this new preventive measure, the social network seeks to combat the spread of old information presented as recent. In parallel, the American group will post contextual information on articles concerning the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have launched the global deployment of a notification screen that will let people know when the press articles they are about to share are more than 90 days old” announced Facebook in a statement on its website. The option will, therefore, be available worldwide in the coming days.
Facebook launches new option to fight fake news
If you are about to share a press article published more than 3 months ago, a warning window will instantly warn you. The social network nevertheless leaves internet users free to share the content on their wall anyway. Facebook claims to have developed this feature in response to concerns from media outlets. Certain media moreover display more and more conspicuously the date of publication of their papers in order to avoid misunderstandings.
To deceive users, or simply out of ignorance or distraction, some Internet users sometimes present older articles as recent. This tactic is regularly used by extreme right or far-left groups to spread false information. In the same vein, some accounts also use photographs dating back several years or captured in other regions of the world, to trick Internet users.
In the process, Facebook announces the arrival of new measures aimed at stemming the spread of false information on the coronavirus. When a user shares content related to the pandemic, a notification window will provide additional contextual information on the subject. In the same vein, Facebook alerts Internet users who share fake news on the coronavirus.
“Our goal is to make it easier for people to identify content that is timely, reliable and most important to them,” said the release. this measure promises to be similar to the option which questions the veracity of certain content based on feedback from Internet users. What do you think of the measures deployed by Facebook? We await your opinion in the comments.