Facebook removes accounts in fight against fake news

FILE – In this April 18, 2017 file photo, conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, Calif. In a paper posted online on Thursday, April 27, Facebook security researchers said the company will monitor the efforts of those who try to hurt “civic discourse” on its service. It is also looking to identify fake accounts, and says it will notify people if their accounts have been targeted by cyber-attackers. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

LONDON  — Facebook says it has deleted tens of thousands of accounts in Britain ahead of the June 8 general election in a drive to battle fake news.

The tech giant also took out newspaper advertisements in Britain’s media offering advice on how to spot such stories. The ads suggest that readers should be “skeptical of headlines,” and to “look closely at the URL.”

The company says it has made improvements to help them detect fake news accounts more effectively.

Simon Milner, the tech firm’s U.K. director of policy, says the platform wants to get to the “root of the problem” and is working with outside organizations to fact check and analyze content around the election.

Milner says Facebook is “doing everything we can to tackle the problem of false news.