Fake news warnings to appear on Facebook home pages in the UAE
Alerts warning on the spread of fake news will pop up on the feeds of UAE Facebook users as part of a deal with the authorities.
The social media platform is working with the country’s National Media Council to make users aware of spurious news sites and fake stories.
The public will begin to see newspaper advertisements urging them to question the credibility of news or information they see on social media.
In the coming days, a tool will also appear at the top of their Facebook “news feed”.
When users click on it, they will see more information and resources in the Facebook Help Centre, including tips on how to identify false news, such as checking the URL of the site, investigating the source and looking for other reports on the topic.
“The issue of false news is one that has increased in prominence with the explosion in use of social media in recent years,” said Mansour Al Mansouri, director general of the council.
“False news can have a political dimension where one party posts false information designed to damage another party, or it can have a financial dimension with sensationalist or misleading material being deliberately posted.
“It could also be a combination of elements but the bottom line is always the same: the truth suffers. People end up believing falsehoods, which can have serious consequences on a personal and societal level.”
Mr Al Mansouri said the aim of the project was to stop consumers being “fed lies and disingenuous information”.
He said the UAE’s tough electronic media regulations, such as cyber-crime laws governing what cannot be said on social media, act as a deterrent to those who might deliberately post misleading information.
“Teaming up with Facebook represents one of the tools to tackle those outside the UAE who wish to post falsehoods that undermine community cohesion,” Mr Al Mansouri said.
Nashwa Aly, Facebook’s head of public policy for the Middle East, said the company was making significant investment in people and technology.
“Protecting our community is more important than profitability and because these challenges go beyond Facebook, we are working with governments to tackle some of these most difficult problems,” she said.
“Keeping people informed and curbing the spread of trends like false news on our platforms is our goal. Through our work with the NMC, we aim to raise awareness so that people can make more informed decisions when they are reading and encounter things like false news on Facebook.”
We are working with governments to tackle some of these most difficult problems NASHWA ALY Facebook regional head of public policy