Facebook Canada says it has launched a new third-party fact-checking program on its platform, aimed at stopping the spread of fake news.
Facebook is teaming up with the Agence France-Presse (AFP) as part of its “elections integrity initiative.”
The goal, Facebook says, is to ensure its platform is a space for “authentic civic engagement.”
Here’s how it will work: When a news story on Facebook is flagged as false, AFP fact-checkers in Canada will review the story, check the facts, and then rate the story’s accuracy. If a story is rated as false, it will appear lower in the news feed, meaning you’re less likely to see it. Articles written by fact-checkers will appear below the original story in the news feed to provide additional context. Users will be notified if they are about to share a story that has been flagged as false and pages that routinely share false stories could have their ability to monetize or advertise removed.
Facebook says articles may be flagged with the following ratings:
"We are committed to fighting the spread of false news and misinformation on multiple fronts, employing a variety of tools and tactics. Working with AFP on the third-party fact-checking program is a continuation of our Canadian Elections Integrity Initiative, and one of the ways we hope to better identify and reduce the reach of false news that people share on our platform," Kevin Chan, Head of Public Policy at Facebook Canada, said in a press release.
AFP is an international news organization based in Paris, France. It is the third-largest news agency in the world after the Associated Press and Reuters. It is also a signatory on the non-profit Poynter Institute’s non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network’s fact-checks’ code of principles.
Here's how to flag a news story as false (even this one, if you want):