LONDON: Facebook has launched a British newspaper advertising campaign to warn users of the dangers of fake news, in the latest drive by the social media giant to tackle malicious information ahead of a national election.
Facebook has come under intense pressure to tackle the spread of false stories, which came to prominence during the US presidential election last year when many inaccurate posts were widely shared on it and other social media services.
Ahead of the June 8 parliamentary election in Britain, it urged its users in the country to be skeptical of headlines that look unbelievable and to check other sources before sharing news that may not be credible. It said it would also delete bogus profiles and stop promoting posts that show signs of being implausible.
“We have developed new ways to identify and remove fake accounts that might be spreading false news so that we get to the root of the problem,” said Simon Milner, Facebook’s director of policy for the UK.
The effort builds on the company’s recently expanded campaigns to identify fake news and crack down on automated profile pages that post commercial or political spam.
Facebook suspended 30,000 accounts in France ahead of the first round of its presidential election last month and uses outside fact-checkers in the country. It has also previously taken out full-page ads in German newspapers to educate readers on how to spot fake news.
With the headline “Tips for spotting false news,” the adverts in Britain listed 10 ways to identify whether a story was genuine or not, including looking closely at a URL, investigating the source, looking for unusual formatting and considering the authenticity of the photo.
Facebook said it had taken action against tens of thousands of fake accounts in Britain after identifying patterns of activity such as whether the same content is being repeatedly posted.
“With these changes, we expect we will also reduce the spread of material generated through inauthentic activity, including spam, misinformation, or other deceptive content that is often shared by creators of fake accounts,” Facebook said.
Social media sites including Twitter and YouTube are also facing pressure in Europe where governments are threatening new laws and fines unless the companies move more quickly to remove extremist content.
Facebook has hired more staff to speed up the removal of videos showing murder, suicide and other violent acts.
Facebook warns of fake news danger ahead of British election
Facebook warns of fake news danger ahead of British election
Media ministry’s Konoz wins 6 gold awards
- “The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields
RIYADH: The Konoz Saudi Arabia initiative, one of the Ministry of Media’s programs, achieved a global milestone by winning six gold awards at the AVA Digital Awards for its documentary film “The Destination.”
Awards were given for documentary, film, editing, informational, cinematography and directing.
With the achievement, the film’s total awards since its release have risen to 13, in addition to receiving three international commendations, bringing the initiative’s overall tally to more than 50 local and international awards.
“The Destination” showcases the developments witnessed in Saudi Arabia over the past few years across political, economic, medical, sports, cultural, media and artistic fields. The film highlights the steady and accelerated steps toward realizing Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s transformation into a global destination.
The documentary is currently available on the Shahid and stc tv platforms, in addition to being screened onboard Saudia flights. It combines creative footage drawn from trusted media sources covering events across the Kingdom with exclusive interviews featuring experts and specialists in the fields addressed by the film.
To date, the documentary has surpassed 10 million views across various platforms.
The AVA Digital Awards are among the most prestigious international awards, established in the US nearly 19 years ago. The awards aim to honor excellence in planning, directing, design and production across digital campaigns, audio and video production, website development, and social-media marketing and engagement.
