How Facebook (And Whatsapp) Is Fighting Against Fake News
Internet giants, Facebook and Whatsapp have announced a slew of measures to tighten the noose around the plague of fake news. The social media platforms have enforced new restrictions to combat the spread of misinformation. The messaging service Whatsapp has limited the number of times a message can be forwarded on in a bid to combat the spread of fake news, from 20 to 5. A Whatsapp user can now only forward a message to five different chat conversations at a time.
Social media network, Facebook, on the other hand, has already started using its algorithm to cut down on the virality of fake news. Facebook has appointed fact checkers all across the globe to identify and curb unlawful content on Facebook. When accounts share stories on their profiles that have been disputed by the company’s fact-checkers, Facebook uses its algorithm to limit that account’s reach.
Facebook and WhatsApp (also owned by the social media giant) have been facing the menace of fake news since long. Facebook has also partnered with various entities to bolster its efforts to clamp down on manipulated posts on its platform.
Facebook has teamed up with certain media organizations that are certified through Poynter Institute's non-partisan International Fact Checking Network to crack down misinformation from its platform.
Both Whatsapp and Facebook are trying to limit the spreading of fake news and other misuses of the service. With General Elections 2019 approaching, both Whatsapp and Facebook will have to work in tandem and restrict the spread of misinformation to preserve the integrity of the election in the world’s largest democracy.
