Facebook to operate fake news filter in time for German elections

Facebook announced that it will no longer tolerate the spread of fake news and hoaxes on its platform. File photo

The 2016 United States presidential elections saw the emergence of Donald Trump as the country’s new head of state. However, that election was hounded by a slew of fake and unreliable news which greatly misinformed the voting public.

With the federal elections looming in Germany, Facebook will try to live up to its promise of eradicating hoaxes once and for all, by rolling out its fake news filter in the country.

READ: Facebook to combat hoaxes, fake news with new upgrades

Starting today, Facebook users in Germany can now report stories that they deem to be false and mark these as ‘disputed’ news.

The flagged items, as per TheNextWeb, would then be sent to Berlin-based non-profit media entity Correctiv, “the first [independent] investigative newsroom in Germany,” with an explanation of the possible inconsistencies of the story.

As announced previously, Facebook would also warn users before they share a fake news story, while also reducing the online visibility of disputed materials by making them appear lower in the news feed.

The social media giant chose to unveil its latest feature in Germany to remedy the potential avalanche of fake news stories that are sure to erupt before the federal elections in October.

In a report from Financial Times, a Facebook spokesperson revealed that the feature would also be available to other countries in the coming months. “Our focus is on Germany right now but we’re certainly thinking through what countries will unveil next.”

Although the elections are still nine months away, German lawmakers are already troubled by a string of hyper-partisan fake news. These false reports seem to be highly critical of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany seeking re-election for a fourth term.

The company’s initiative also appears to be an effort to get back to the country’s good graces, after the German government considered handing down severe fines to Facebook and other social media websites that permit the spread of fake news. Khristian Ibarrola

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