Facebook Launches ‘Fake News’ Filtering Service Ahead Of German Elections
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Jan 16, 2017
Because the rise in popularity of alternative and populist candidates in Germany and elsewhere around the world can’t possibly by a legitimate rejection of politicians who simply skewed policies too far to the left over the past decade, Germany and Facebook have announced an accelerated effort to crack down on “Fake News” (i.e. anything that is deemed critical of Angela Merkel) ahead the country’s elections in September. Just like in the U.S., Facebook’s crackdown in Germany will enlist the support of 3rd-party “fact checkers” who will flag stories as “disputed” if they’re found to include “fake” or “misleading” content. The Financial Times:
German users of the social network will now be able to report a story as fake and it will be sent to Correctiv, a third-party fact checker. If the fact checker discovers it is fake, the story will be flagged as “disputed”, with an explanation. Disputed stories will not be prioritised by the news feed algorithm and people will receive a warning if they decide to share it.
Facebook said it had been in discussions with German media and publishing groups and was working to get more partners on board. “Our focus is on Germany right now but we’re certainly thinking through what countries will unveil next,” he said.
The Rest…HERE
