Facebook to counter fake news in Germany

On Sunday Facebook announced that it will update its social media platform in Germany. This news comes in order to reduce the dissemination of fake news. Facebook’s German language newsroom said that “last month it announced measures to tackle the challenge of fake news on the newsfeed.”

The updates will be in work from next week in Germany. The German Minister has repeatedly called for Facebook to respect laws of the country which are stricter than the ones in the United States. Since, Angela Merkel is seeking a fourth term in office this September there is a chance that hate speech and fake news takes toll on the country politics. Government officials have expressed their concern over the fake news on the internet and its influence on the parliamentary elections.

The social media networking site did say that it will make reporting fake items easy. It will also work with external fact-checking organizations. One fact checking organization on board for the project is Correctiv. Correctiv is a German based organization which has signed the United States Poynter International Fact Checking Code of Principles. Other organizations on board will need to sign the same code.

Social media platform to tackle fake news

Non-credible news items will have attached warning signs with them. The reasons for the decisions will also be given. Spammers will find it nearly impossible to forgo the websites of reputable news agencies. German government is also considering setting up a bureau for tracking and combating false news. The Czech Republic did the same even though there was concern over the authorities interfering with the media ahead of elections.

Read: Facebook pledges to get rid of misinformation

Reuters report that there is an increase in online hate speech in Germany after the influx of migrants. There has been a lot of racial and religious tension in the country leading to political instability.

Image via Digital Trends