Facebook partners AFP for third-party checking programme in Malaysia

Facebook has partnered with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Malaysia to launch the third-party fact-checking programme, which aims to reduce the spread of misinformation online and to help to build a more informed community in Malaysia.AFP will review and rate the accuracy of stories on Facebook, including photos and videos. AFP fact-checkers will fact-check content on Facebook in English and Malay and will follow a standard set of criteria when determining the veracity of stories. When third-party fact-checkers rate a story as false, it will appear lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution.When third-party fact-checkers write articles about a piece of content, Facebook will show these in Related Articles immediately below the story in News Feed. Page Admins and people on Facebook will also receive notifications if they try to share a post or have shared one in the past that’s been determined to be false, empowering users to decide for themselves what to read, trust, and share.This is in line with Facebook’s three-part framework to improve the quality and authenticity of stories in the News Feed, wherein Facebook removes accounts and content that violate its Community Standards or ad policies, reduces the distribution of false news and inauthentic content like clickbait, and informs people by giving them more context on the posts they see.Facebook’s fact-checking program, which now works with 54 partners around the world covering content in 43 languages, also relies on feedback from the Facebook community, as a signal to raise potentially false stories to fact-checkers for review.Facebook Malaysia’s strategic partner manager, Alice Budisatrijo, said consumers want a safe platform for them to have a positive experience online. Its expanded third-party fact-checking programme in Asia Pacific, through continued partnership with AFP in Malaysia, reaffirms Facebook’s efforts to help build a more informed community and supporting digital literacy in the country, Budisatrijo said.(Photo courtesy: 123RF)