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Facebook News Feed bug injected misinformation into users' feeds for months
A “bug” in Facebook’s News Feed ranking algorithm injected a “surge of misinformation” and other harmful content into users’ News Feeds.
Facebook renames its News Feed to just 'Feed'
Facebook has renamed its News Feed more than 15 years after introducing the iconic feature.
Facebook is testing its 'less political' News Feed in 75 new countries
Facebook is slowly expanding its effort to weed out political content from News Feed, the changes are being tested in 75 new countries.
Facebook will reduce political content in the News Feed starting today
You might see fewer posts about current events as well.
Facebook will ask users about ‘negative experiences’ in News Feed
Facebook will begin surveying users about the content in their News Feeds, including whether too much political content is contributing “negative experiences.”
Facebook tests a new feature to recommend businesses in News Feed
Facebook is testing a new feature that will recommend posts from businesses in users’ News Feeds.
Facebook makes it easier for users to see News Feed stories in chronological order
Facebook is rolling out a News Feed update that lets you switch off algorithmically-ranked posts in favor of a chronological timeline.
Facebook experiments with reducing News Feed political content for some
Facebook is taking a new approach to political content: Showing less of it. The company announced today that it will experiment with reducing News Feed entries about politics for a small portion of users in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week, and in the US in the coming weeks. Facebook Product Management Director Aastha Gupta says the company will explore ways of ranking political content in the News Feed, but also made it clear that this test won’t affect content from official government agencies, health agencies and COVID-19 information from trusted health organizations like the CDC and WHO.
Mark Zuckerberg wants to reduce political content in News Feed
Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook is thinking about ways to “reduce the amount of politics on its platform.”
Facebook rolls back News Feed change that prioritized mainstream media
Facebook has rolled back a News Feed change designed to promote reliable news coverage in the aftermath of the US election. Last month, the New York Times reported that the company had made an emergency tweak to combat the surge in misinformation about missing ballots, miscounted votes and other forms of unproven interference. Facebook reportedly increased the weighting of an internal value called NEQ (news ecosystem quality), which tries to quantify the value and rigor of an outlet’s journalism.
Facebook will prioritize original reporting in its News Feed
In an effort to prioritize original reporting, Facebook is updating the way it ranks news stories in News Feed.
Facebook and Carnegie Mellon launch survey to track Covid-19
Facebook is working with researchers at Carnegie Mellon to survey users about coronavirus symptoms as part of the company’s latest effort to help fight the pandemic.
Facebook adds coronavirus ‘information center’ to News Feed
Facebook is taking new steps to encourage its billions of users to take social distancing seriously amid the coronavirus pandemic. The social network will start placing a coronavirus "information center" at the top of users' News Feeds, Mark Zuckerberg announced. The messages will begin appearing in users' News Feeds in the next 24 hours in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and be available in more countries and languages over time.
Facebook will offer more info on the ads you see
There's a good chance some strange ads have popped up in your Facebook News Feed. Now, the company wants to give users more clarity about why they're seeing specific ads. In the past, users could click "Why am I seeing this ad?" But the answers were fairly vague. Now, Facebook will share more detailed reasoning, like which of your interests matched you with a specific ad.
Facebook reduces sensational health claims in your News Feed
Facebook knows junk health claims are a problem, and it has quietly taken action to keep them out of sight. The internet giant has revealed that it changed the News Feed ranking in June to reduce the priority of posts that either make "exaggerated or sensational" health claims or try to sell products and services based on health claims. You should see fewer attempts to pitch miracle cures, diet pills or other treatments that don't pass scientific muster.
Facebook tweaks News Feed to focus on close friends and relevant links
Facebook is once again changing up the News Feed. The company announced Thursday two ranking updates to the algorithm that drives the News Feed. One is meant to prioritize a user's closest friends, and another the links they'll find most relevant. Changes are nothing new to the much-maligned News Feed. In recent months we've seen updates to how videos are ranked, new tools to detect clickbait and the demotion of certain ad-filled websites.
Facebook will change video ranking to prioritize original content
Facebook wants to make it easier for filmmakers to grow their audiences and for viewers to connect with content creators. To do so, over the coming months, Facebook will change how it ranks videos. It will give more weight to videos based on their originality, intent and viewing durations. In a press release, the company said this will affect how videos are distributed across platforms like News Feed, Facebook Watch and Facebook's video recommendations.
Facebook may combine your News Feed and Stories into one carousel
It looks like Facebook may be testing a way to combine your News Feed and Stories into one swipeable, hybrid carousel. On Twitter this morning, Jane Manchun Wong -- a software engineer who's spotted changes like Twitter's "subscribe to conversation" button -- reported that Facebook is demoing the new format. The GIF Wong shared shows her News Feed in a Stories-like carousel.
Facebook gives you more control over what you see in your News Feed
Facebook has announced a new feature called "Why am I seeing this post?" which will help you better understand the content that shows up on your News Feed from friends, Pages and Groups you follow. Not only that, but this will also give you more control over what you see in the News Feed, letting you easily manage the posts you interact with on the site. The company says this is the first time it has built information on how News Feed ranking works directly into the Facebook app, noting that it is part of its efforts to be more transparent with users about how its algorithms target you.
Facebook lets you choose what appears in your News Feed
If you're a regular Facebook user, you'll know that the posts that appear in your News Feed are visible because of an algorithm. It's part of the company's mission to reduce post overload, but it can often mean that you'll miss updates from some of your friends. In May, Zuckerberg and co. began testing a new feature that let users choose what they see in their feeds, but it was only available to a select few. From today, however, the new set of controls are rolling out to all.
