DEATH OF FACEBOOK
Fake news real threat to social media giants
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FAKE news could spark the death of Facebook and Twitter.
Experts reckon the spread of false stories is “the beginning of the end” if social media sites do not clamp down.
University researchers said the problem was now “very serious”.
Dr Damian Tambini, of the London School of Economics, said: “It may well be the beginning of the end for these firms. It’s got very serious now.
“They have enjoyed this ability to use our data, our content, our innovation, to create huge businesses and we have given them a shield from a lot of risks. So essentially we made them – is this the year we begin unmaking them?”
The social media giants have been slammed for their response to a parliamentary investigation into fake news and the allegations of Russian interference into British politics.
Twitter’s response was “completely inadequate” said Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. And he accused Facebook of doing virtually “no work” to help the probe.
Professor Charlie Beckett, of LSE, has compared the fake news phenomenon to air pollution.
He added: “You can either ban all cars because that solves the problem, or you try to make the cars cleaner, regulate traffic etc. It’s a gradual process to solve what is now a serious health issue.
“The trouble is, they cannot be regulated like a broadcaster because content is not edited pre-publication.”
Facebook announced this year it would stop displaying warning icons next to suspected fake news stories and instead use a related articles feature to help readers gain a broader range of views.
Facebook product manager Tessa Lyons said: “Demoting false news is one of our best weapons because demoted articles typically lose 80% of their traffic.
“This destroys the economic incentives spammers and troll farms have to generate these articles.”