Facebook has launched a tool it says will help flag so-called fake news.
The tool adds a “disputed news” flag on stories that have been deemed fake by what Facebook says are third parties, including Snopes, Politifact and Factcheck.org.
Facebook announced the disputed news flag in December, but it appears it only has gone live in the past day or so, according to news reports.
If a story is flagged by some of Facebook’s 1.86 billion users, the company will determine which to send to the third parties. If the story is fake, it will still be on Facebook, but will carry a notice that it was disputed along with an explanation about why.
Disputed stories can still be shared, but users will be warned they are sharing fake news.
According to USA Today, one fake news story about how President Trump’s Android phone was the source of White House leaks came from a fake news site called “The Seattle Tribune.” The story now appears with a disputed flag as well as links to third party explanations as to why.
A May 2016 survey from the Nieman Lab said 44 percent of Americans get their news from Facebook.
