While social media sites are often some of the first places we visit when following news stories, the amount of false information reported there cannot be ignored. With this in mind, these sites, as well as Google, have revealed measures to clamp down on such content.

Google has decided to take action to reduce the amount of false information spread online, by limiting the ads it serves on web pages it deems inaccurate. In a recent statement, the company revealed that it will be “restrict[ing] ad serving on pages that misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher’s content, or the primary purpose of the web property.” This will apply to all websites who use Google AdSense, ensuring news comes from verified sources, and that illegitimate sites don’t benefit from the revenue boost. AdSense already has strict guidelines in place, monitored by its team of both human employees and artificial intelligence- this way Google ensures that ads aren’t displayed on content it deems to be of a violent or pornographic nature for instance.

In a recent blog post, we mentioned how false reports surrounding the US Presidential Election had been circulated via social media, leading to inaccurate information passed on regarding voter sentiment. The sources in question appear to have come from Macedonia, where small publishing platforms were allegedly creating fake news articles written in favour of Trump. Because of the sensationalist nature of these reports, they were heavily shared via Facebook- this resulted in a large volume of link clicks back to the illegitimate sites, enabling rogue publishers to monetise.

This issue also brought Facebook into the fray, with the site being criticised for so easily allowing false news pieces to spread. In fact, many went so far as to blame Facebook for influencing the outcome of the Presidential election, a claim Mark Zuckerberg has vehemently denied on the platform’s blog. Despite this, Facebook is unfortunately known for housing its share of offensive or illegitimate content, something the site should take measures to address, ensuring its algorithm is able to filter fake information while still pushing out accurate reports. An updated algorithm to include learned detection was allegedly implemented last year, but clearly further steps need to be taken. In response, the company has stated that it will consider the role of AI in ridding the platform of false content, although more has yet to be revealed as to how it will employ this technology. Secondly, the site also revealed that since content monitoring is a mammoth task on Facebook’s part, it would be relying on community efforts by introducing a “self-reporting” tool for users, allowing him or her to flag up erroneous news reports.

Interestingly, Facebook has also revealed that AI might later be used to stop unregulated content appearing in its live videos too- this would therefore be flagged automatically during live-streams. Reportedly, for the past six months, the site has also been working on using automated technology to stop “extremist” video content appearing in NewsFeed videos, but this will likely be extended to live videos too. While this appears to be a crucial advancement, robot intervention might only go as far as to flag up explicit content, rather than cast a more judgemental eye, as say a human might. In some cases for instance, there might well be a fine line between what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate content that only a human can discern. And despite these new measures in the works for all written, visual, video and live-video content, with the volume of circulating reports and footage well into the millions, might Facebook’s endeavour be almost impossible to achieve?

Have you noticed a growing problem in the amount of erroneous content published online? Do you think this has led to widespread public misunderstanding about important global issues? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.