How Facebook could dodge fake news land mines

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Facebook’s prioritization of openness and accessibility has made it a target of critics who say it isn't doing enough to stomp out fake news and misinformation. Experts argue Facebook could do a number of things to reduce fake news. But almost every option could hit its bottom line or would challenge CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s long-term vision for the company. The most drastic changes Facebook could make to its policies include removing news from the platform altogether, pre-approving content before letting users post it, and removing all monetization efforts around news. Some experts suggest more realistic options:

  1. Ramp up its enforcement regime: Facebook has committed to hiring 20,000 moderators by the end of the year to help monitor content. Many critics argue Facebook could not realistically monitor the billions of photos, posts, and videos uploaded to the platform daily with 20,000 people.
  2. Draw tighter lines around what's considered harmful content. 
  3. Lower the threshold of removal. Facebook won’t publicly say how many pieces of nefarious content a Page or person needs to post before being removed, out of fear that it could lead bad actors to abuse the system.
  4. Use stricter authentication of users.
  5. Remove more financial incentives for spreading fake news.
  6. More clearly show when content comes from an established brand. 
  7. Separate news from social media.

 

 


How Facebook could dodge fake news land mines