After being reportedly accused of stepping on many toes and doing little to curb low-quality/fake news during the 2016 US presidential elections, Facebook has taken a series of moves to downgrade access for low-quality sites.
The latest feature in this regard is Related Articles. Here’s how it works:
Lets say you see a news article shared by someone on Facebook which probably sounds suspicious. Facebook will flag said article for being fake based on comments and reports.
If a fact checking site (partnered with Facebook of course) has done a review of the article in question, you will a see the review or article by the fact checking source, debunking the fake news. Related Articles feature will make sure you see it right under the fake news to ensure that you see it then and there, and avoid clicking on it.
The feature has been tested for quite some time, it seems that Facebook now deems it ready for the general public. Facebook will use machine-learning algorithms to help it find news articles which need attention.
Faster News Checking Algorithm
The algorithm, according to Facebook, has now reached a point of perfect cross between accuracy and speed, which is essential as it allows quicker sharing with third-party websites for fact-checking. That in turn makes sure less people see and spread news containing dubious information.
Previously, the company had introduced a fact-checker, in partnership with third-party websites such as PolitiFact. It is not known exactly how helpful these measures are even if they give the illusion of being so. That is important given how many people use the network for their daily fix of news stories.
Related Articles will be rolled out to countries in Europe and the US starting today.
