Facebook announced on Wednesday that it will be launching a fact-checking program in Arabic to combat fake news.
Facebook – in partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP) - will be rolling out the program this year with the aim to reduce the spread of misinformation.
Arabic-speaking AFP checkers will fact-check Arabic-language content on Facebook, and will follow a standard set of criteria when determining the veracity of stories, Facebook said.
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.
Amid an international outcry over fake news, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have removed thousands of fake accounts originating from Iran, some dating back as far as 2010, after collaborating to combat disinformation.
Facebook said that it had removed 783 pages, groups and accounts from its Facebook and Instagram platforms that were engaged in “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour . . . directed from Iran”.
