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Facebook is paying for news shows as it continues to fight fake news
Today, Facebook announced a new section of the Watch tab devoted exclusively to news programming. The first round of shows available (which are funded by Facebook) will be "On Location" from ABC News, "Chasing Corruption" from Advance Local, "Undivided ATTN:" from ATTN:, "Anderson Cooper Full Circle" from CNN, "Fox News Update" from Fox News, "Mic Dispatch" from Mic and "Real America with Jorge Ramos" from Univision. You can see descriptions of all these shows over at Facebook's announcement post.
Facebook made a short film about its fight against fake news
Facebook is determined to show that it's serious about fighting fake news and other forms of misinformation, and it just took an unusual step to get there: it made a short film. The 11-minute Facing Facts video explains the social network's past and present thinking about intervening in the News Feed, the challenges involved (such as maintaining neutrality) and the various methods Facebook uses in response, such as downplaying questionable stories and using machine learning to inspect content for deceptive material.
Mark Zuckerberg will apologize to EU for not taking 'broad enough view'
You won't have to wonder much about what Mark Zuckerberg will say when he meets with the European Parliament later on May 22nd. Business Insider has obtained the Facebook chief's introductory speech, and contrition is clearly the order of the day. Zuckerberg is expect to apologize for his company not taking a "broad enough view of our responsibilities," including the need to curb fake news, fight election interference by countries like Russia and, of course, prevent developers from abusing data. He's also expected to reiterate the changes Facebook is making to mend its ways, such as "doubling" the number of safety and security staffers.
Facebook partners with think tank to fight global election meddling
Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you're probably aware of how foreign actors influenced the 2016 presidential election using Facebook ads. Letting foreign interests interfere in the US election process is a major problem, so Facebook's doubling down on efforts to stamp out meddling on its platform.
Facebook wants to know which news sources Europeans trust
In January, Facebook announced that it would begin tackling the problem of fake news by asking US users which outlets they deemed trustworthy. Doing so consists of a very simple two-part survey that asks users if they recognize a website and how much they trust it -- entirely, a lot, somewhat, barely or not at all. It's a move that has attracted criticism and concerns of abuse, but, regardless, Mark Zuckerberg said last week that Facebook has begun using those surveys to rank news organizations, affecting how they're promoted in the News Feed. Now, the company is testing the system in Europe.
House Democrats release over 3,500 Russian Facebook ads
Today, Democrats in the House of Representatives released over 3,500 Facebook ads that were purchased by Russia in order to influence the 2016 presidential election. In a Twitter thread, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that the ads were aimed at pushing "divisive online content and videos." He goes on to say, "Russia sought to divide us by our race, by our country of origin, by our religion, and by our political party."
Malaysia’s fake news law has already led to a one-month jail sentence
The Malaysian law criminalizing the spread of fake news was enacted less than three weeks ago and the country has already charged an individual for violating it. Danish citizen Salah Salem Saleh Sulaiman was arrested and charged with spreading false news, the Guardian reports, and fined 10,000 ringgit (approximately $2,550). Sulaiman reportedly couldn't pay the fine and opted for a one-month jail sentence instead.
Facebook shrinks fake news links in hopes you'll miss them
Facebook has tried numerous methods in a bid to fight fake news. Not all of them are successful, though, and it's now clear that they can even backfire. Its decision to flag false stories led to more sharing as those determined to believe the claims were incensed. The social network has a new strategy, though: rather than draw attention to the links, it's shrinking them. Facebook told TechCrunch that it's reducing the "visual prominence" of known false stories. You may only see a tiny thumbnail and brief text description for a hoax, but an accurate story will have a large image and bold text. The aim, as you've no doubt guessed, is to boost the chances you'll miss a bogus story while scrolling through your News Feed.
Constant controversy hasn't stopped Facebook from making money
When it comes to public perception, Facebook hasn't had the best 2018 so far. Over the past few months, the company's been working hard to clean up its image after dealing with a series of nightmares, including the idea that the site was becoming toxic and, most recently, the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal that led CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before US Congress. But business goes on, and today Facebook released its Q1 2018 earnings report, which shows it made a revenue of $11.97 billion, an insane 49 percent year-over-year increase.
Tesla: Workplace safety, unions and the color yellow
Tesla's troubles with media reports on working conditions and union organizing took a hard right turn on Monday. In response to Reveal's report on Tesla's workplace safety, the auto manufacturer accused the Pulitzer-finalist of being "an extremist organization working directly with union supporters to create a calculated disinformation campaign against Tesla."
Facebook begins fact-checking news stories in India
Facebook announced this week that it has begun piloting a fact-checking program in India, it's largest market. Boom, which is certified through the International Fact-Checking Network, will review English language stories flagged on Facebook and provide accuracy ratings after checking the stories' facts. The pilot will first roll out in the Indian state of Karnataka where an important election is scheduled to take place in May.
Homeland Security database would track bloggers, social media
Fears about the potential effects of propaganda and fake news remain high, and American officials are determined to keep track of media outlets in a bid to curb these misinformation campaigns. The Department of Homeland Security has put out a call for companies that could create a database tracking over 290,000 "media influencers" around the world, including online news outlets, bloggers and prominent social network accounts. The system would identify contributor details (such as contact info and their employers), and would allow searching for individuals and outlets through categories like their locations, the focuses of their coverage and their sentiment.
Twitter tries to explain how it fights breaking news hoaxes
During the minutes and hours after shots rang out at YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno, many people used Twitter just as they have after other high-profile events: to spread fake information and hoaxes. In response to reports about how bad its "fake news" problem is (as a Buzzfeed reporter maintained a live thread collecting hoaxes, trolls started using an image of her in their fakes) Twitter published a post about "Serving the Public Conversation During Breaking Events." It didn't mention hoaxes like the infamous "Sam Hyde" images by name, or the hacking of YouTube's Vadim Lavrusk, but more broadly outlined its policies and aims for moderating posts during this type of event.
Facebook rolls out news verification tools to everyone in the US
Facebook has been fighting fake news for a while now, ranking "trusted" sources and demoting "engagement bait" stories. Last October, the company began testing a feature that provided information on article publishers to help people decide which sources were worth reading, trusting and sharing. Now the company is set to roll this out to everyone in the US, along with two more options to give you more context when you see a story in your news feed.
Malaysia is one step closer to outlawing fake news
Last week, the Malaysian government proposed a law that would criminalize the spread of fake news and today, the country's parliament pushed the bill one step closer to enaction. The lower house of parliament voted to approve the bill today and it now heads to the senate for debate. The bill is wildly controversial and many believe it's just the government's latest attempt to stifle reports that Prime Minister Najib Razak mishandled billions of dollars held in a state investment fund. The prime minister is currently up for reelection, the vote for which has to take place by August.
Facebook is stepping up its fight against fake news
In the wake of the 2016 US elections, Facebook began to fight against fake news and divisive content. It hired third-party fact checkers to start vetting content that had been flagged by regular users. The company sponsored a call today with members of the press to address how it continues to protect elections from abuse and exploitation.
Malaysia proposes law that would make spreading fake news illegal
The Malaysian government has proposed a law that would criminalize the spread of fake news, and those found to be in violation could face up to 10 years in prison and a 500,000 ringgit (approximately $128,165) fine, the Wall Street Journal reports. The proposed law says, "'Fake news' includes any news, information, data and reports, which is or are wholly or partly false, whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas." And it would also apply to publications outside of Malaysia if the country or its citizens are affected by the reports.
A viral photo of Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez is the latest fake news
Seventeen-year-old Parkland shooting survivor Emma González (@Emma4Change) has become a national spokesperson for the movement against gun violence. At the March For Our Lives this weekend, the teenager spent a poignant and powerful six minutes and twenty seconds -- the amount of time the Parkland gunman spent murdering seventeen of her classmates and teachers -- on stage in complete silence. Now, BuzzFeed News reports that people are sharing a fake photograph of González ripping up the Constitution.
Facebook's focus on local news goes global
Back in January, Facebook announced that it was prioritizing local news sources in the US. Today, in a blog post, the company's Head of News Product, Alex Hardiman, and Head of News Partnerships, Campbell Brown, announced that these changes are being applied internationally, in all languages. Soon, Facebook users around the world will see more news from local sources in their news feeds.
Google puts $300 million towards fighting fake news
Like Facebook and Twitter, Google has come under fire for its role in spreading misinformation and it has taken steps to address the problem. Over the past few months, the company has teamed up with fact-checking networks, started showing more publisher info, introduced trust icons and revamped its "snippets" feature to purge it of fake news. But Google says its previous efforts may not be enough to combat the spread of misinformation. "It's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish what's true (and not true) online," Google said in a blog post today. "Business models for journalism continue to change drastically. The rapid evolution of technology is challenging all institutions, including the news industry, to keep pace." So to continue its efforts, the company is launching Google News Initiative (GNI).
