Facebook launches a fact-checking program in Georgia with its partners
By Anastasia Sokhadze
Friday, September 18
According to the representatives of Facebook, as a part of the campaign against misinformation, Facebook cooperates with several fact-checking portals around the world. These organizations review the accuracy of the content, evaluate it, and then share that information with Facebook.
Facebook will launch a similar program in Georgia in partnership with Fact Check Georgia and Myth Detector. According to Facebook, Myth Detector, as well as Fact Check Georgia, is certified by the International Fact-Finding Network.
Pages and accounts that periodically attempt to share false information will automatically be limited in their ability to monetize and place ads.
The principle of operation is as follows: If a user considers any Facebook post or news item suspicious, it is necessary to inform Facebook about it and select the appropriate field. The Myth Detector and Fact Check discuss the accuracy of questionable content, evaluate it, and then share this information with Facebook. The information they assess as fake will be posted at the bottom of the Facebook news feed. This will significantly reduce the spread of false information and also, reduce the number of users who may be misinformed.
Additionally, Facebook will mark posts assessed as false information by the Fact-Finding Portal. By doing this, users will be able to pick out if the post they see or want to share is true.
“We are glad that as a result of cooperation with Fact Check Georgia and Myth Detector, we will launch a fact-checking program in Georgia. We take the fight against misinformation quite seriously. Therefore, we are constantly working and trying to find ways to prevent the spread of false information on our platform,” said Sophie Ayers, Facebook's Strategic Partnership Development Manager.
According to the representatives of the social network, the mentioned program is part of the strategy against Facebook disinformation. The strategy serves to establish the authenticity of the news and improve its quality. Under the strategy, Facebook cancels accounts and removes content that violates company-set standards or advertising policies. As a result, the chances of spreading false information and non-authentic content are reduced.
"Since its inception in 2013, Fact Check Georgia has been working to reduce the spread of misinformation and the spread of truth in the information space. Partnering with Facebook is an excellent opportunity to make our work much more effective. Most importantly, this partnership allows us to have access to thousands of Facebook users who may be victims of misinformation. It should be noted that our partnership in Georgia took place a few months before the parliamentary elections, which will help minimize the viral spread of misinformation on social media and, consequently, the democratic basis of elections won’t be threatened by false rumors," said Paata Gaprindashvili, the founder of Fact Check Georgia.
According to Tamar Kintsurashvili, the founder and editor-in-chief of Myth Detector, when pluralistic platforms and democratic institutions such as the media are abused, the fact-finding platform has to inform the public.
The Media Development Foundation (MDF) created the Myth Detector, a fact-finding and myth-making platform, in 2014. This platform was created to establish the truth and inform the public and institutions about misinformation. It’s a must to be able to maintain public confidence in credible media platforms. A democratic society must be able to distinguish misinformation from the truth to make informed choices. The expansion of Facebook's fact-checking program in Georgia is very important, especially before the parliamentary elections.
According to Sophie Ayers, today, the company continues to invest to make the fight against false information even more widespread.
