Facebook follows Google in banning fake news sites from its ad network
Hours after Google announced it would ban sites that peddle fake news stories from using its advertising network, Facebook has followed suit. The social network announced today
that it was now adding fake news sites to the list of sources already
barred from using its Facebook Audience Network ads — a list that
previously included misleading, illegal, and deceptive sites.
“While implied, we have updated the policy to explicitly clarify that this applies to fake news,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal.
“We vigorously enforce our policies and take swift action against sites
and apps that are found to be in violation. Our team will continue to
closely vet all prospective publishers and monitor existing ones to
ensure compliance.”
Facebook
has faced criticism for its role in the US presidential elections —
specifically for spreading and perpetuating inaccurate stories dressed
up as real news. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the idea fake news on
the platform influenced the election is “crazy,” but a number of Facebook employees apparently think differently, with some reportedly organizing a secret “task force” to solve the problem of deliberately misleading stories proliferating on the social network.
By restricting Facebook’s ads, Zuckerberg’s company is at
least doing something to combat the issue now, but the move won’t solve
the problem outright. Fake stories with inflammatory headlines will
still be capable of scoring millions of views, making it financially
viable for people to invent news — such as the Pope’s apparent support of Donald Trump — that is patently false.
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