Facebook details plans to crack down on fake news
Zuckerberg doubts it influenced election results
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his plan of attack against phony news stories on the social media platform, following up an announcement about work “to flag fake news and hoaxes” after a vicious presidential election.
In a new post, Zuckerberg said Facebook previously relied on users to determine which stories were accurate, and said the company still believes in “erring on the side of letting people share what they want whenever possible.”
While the CEO made it clear Facebook will continue to “rely on our community and trusted third parties,” he knows “people want accurate information.” So, the company plans to make some changes.
Zuckerberg didn’t share a timeline for implementation or promise the projects would correct the problem. “Some of these ideas will work well, and some will not,” he wrote.
Some have said fake news stories influenced voters to back Republican Donald Trump, but Zuckerberg said it was “extremely unlikely” that phony stories affected the outcome.
Nearly half of Americans get their news from Facebook, according to the Pew Research Center. Just two in 10 U. S. adults get news from print newspapers.
As it has grown, Facebook has resisted claims it’s a de facto news publisher, exercising editorial judgment with the power to sway billions of minds.
But President Obama cited Facebook’s influence at a pre- election Michigan rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“And people, if they just repeat attacks enough, and outright lies over and over again, as long as it’s on Facebook and people can see it, as long as it’s on social media, people start believing it. And it creates this dust cloud of nonsense,” he said.