Facebook Tests Out New Feature in Fight Against Fake News (Video)

Facebook announced Thursday that it was testing a new feature to help the social media platform’s more than one billion users become smarter news consumers.

“Today we are starting a new test to give people additional context on the articles they see in News Feed,” the company announced in a blog post. “For links to articles shared in News Feed, we are testing a button that people can tap to easily access additional information without needing to go elsewhere.”

According to the social media giant, that “additional information” may include, the site’s Wikipedia page or other trending articles from the publisher.

Also Read: Facebook Says 10 Million Users Hit by Russian Fake Ads

Since the fake news fueled-election presidential election last year, the site’s action appears to be an effort to curb problems like this one.

Your parents in 1996: Don’t trust ANYONE on the Internet.

Your parents in 2016: Freedom Eagle dot Facebook says Hillary invented AIDS.

— Kibblesmith NYCCP4??”️ (@kibblesmith) November 19, 2016

“In the U.S. only 53 percent of American trust the news sources they use. So we’re making it easier to learn more about an article right in your Facebook newsfeed,” Andrew Anker, Facebook’s Product Management Director for News, said in a video explaining the update. “We’ll continue to listen to people’s feedback and work with publishers to provide you easy access to the important information that helps you decide which stories on Facebook to read share and trust.”

Since the 2016 election, Facebook has been buffeted by a series of nasty revelations showing how Russian operatives used the platform in an attempt to influence the outcome in several key swing states.

It is far from clear that these measures will be enough to curb such abuse on the platform going forward. Representatives for the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Beyonce, Drake and Hillary Clinton among news droppers that set Twitter, Facebook, Instagram ablaze

When Beyoncé quietly dropped her self-titled album on iTunes in the middle of the night in late 2013, she posted a teaser video on her Instagram account with the caption "Surprise!" to alert her fans of the news. It sold 80,000 copies in about three hours.

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