Fake News Is Not the Only Problem

[Commentary] The web that we’ve built — the social web, search engines, and spaces governed by algorithmic systems attuned to social signals (clicks, shares, likes, comments) — makes it increasingly difficult to locate a definitive response to fabrications like Clinton funding ISIS. There’s a broad range of not-fake-but-not-completely-true information. Leaving out information makes for a much more cohesive story but also may nudge a reader in a desired direction. There are other models of automated filtering and downgrading for limiting the spread of misleading information (the Facebook News Feed already does plenty of filtering and nudging).

But again, who decides what’s in or out, who governs? And who gets to test the potential bias of such an algorithmic system? If our collective goals include increasing trust in institutions and supporting an informed public, there is a lot of work to be done, and not only by Facebook. A number of actors, including publishers, social networks, content distributors, and forums, are all important in this space. By pointing our fingers at Facebook and looking at the extremes of fake news, I fear we’re missing out on an opportunity to actually make a difference.

[Gilad Lotan is the Chief Data Scientist at betaworks]