Facebook Will Now Prompt Users To Actually Read News Articles Before Posting Them
Encouraging people to think before they post.
Facebook is fighting disinformation on its site by making sure its users actually read news articles before posting them onto their feed.
The social media giant announced in a tweet on Monday that it would begin testing out a prompt to ensure that users properly understand the articles they post.
Starting today, we’re testing a way to promote more informed sharing of news articles. If you go to share a news article link you haven’t opened, we’ll show a prompt encouraging you to open it and read it, before sharing it with others. pic.twitter.com/brlMnlg6Qg
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) May 10, 2021
“Starting today, we’re testing a way to promote more informed sharing of news articles,” Facebook Newsroom tweeted. “If you go to share a news article link you haven’t opened, we’ll show a prompt encouraging you to open it and read it, before sharing it with others.”
Twitter introduced a similar measure last year.
We’re seeing promising results from this prompt, so we’re expanding the test to iOS.
Sharing an article with a Retweet or Quote Tweet? If you haven’t already read the article, we may ask if you’d like to open it first. pic.twitter.com/eFrZcoUjWC
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) October 1, 2020
“Sharing an article with a Retweet or Quote Tweet? If you haven’t already read the article, we may ask if you’d like to open it first,” Twitter Support tweeted in October.
The move follows increased scrutiny against major tech companies about the spread of misinformation on social media. In March, the chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Google delivered virtual testimonies on what their platforms were doing to flag misinformation and combat fake news.
At the time, Facebook said it was taking steps to tackle misinformation across its apps, including WhatsApp and Instagram. “Tackling misinformation actually requires addressing several challenges including fake accounts, deceptive behavior, and misleading and harmful content.”
Last week, Twitter began re-rolling out a system that asks users to review messages before sending it based on the context.
