In a random turn of events, Facebook posted an advertisement on UK papers on how to spot fake news.
According to a BBC report, the ads were spotted in The Times, The Guardian and Daily Telegraph, stating 10 things to look out for in deciding if it’s fake news or not.
It includes checking the article date and website address, as well as making sure it isn’t intended as satire.
The social media platform said it had already removed “tens of thousands” of fake Facebook accounts and that systems were now monitoring the repeated posting of the same content or a sharp increase in messaging. Accounts displaying this activity are then flagged.
Here’s the full list of 10 things to spot, according to FB.
- Be sceptical of headlines
- Look closely at the URL [web address]
- Investigate the source
- Watch for unusual formatting
- Consider the photos
- Check the date
- Check the evidence
- Look at other reports
- Is the story a joke?
- Some stories are intentionally false [satirical]
“We have observed many actions by fake account operators that could only be performed by people with language skills and a basic knowledge of the political situation in the target countries, suggesting a higher level of coordination and forethought,” it said in the document.
“People want to see accurate information on Facebook and so do we,” said Simon Milner, Facebook’s UK director of policy
“To help people spot false news we are showing tips to everyone on Facebook on how to identify if something they see is false.”
