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Facebook Will Let You Flag Content As 'False'

Posted by Soulskill on from the things-that-definitely-certainly-won't-ever-be-abused-at-all dept.

jfruh writes: If you're tired of seeing fake or misleading news articles posted by your friends to Facebook and then spreading like wildfire, you might be in luck. In a system that's something like Slashdot comment moderation on a grand scale, you'll now be able to flag a story as false. Links that have been flagged this way by many users will appear less frequently in people's newsfeeds, or with a disclaimer attached.

8 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. Not "like Slashdot" by bondsbw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Slashdot doesn't have a "False" moderation... and it could use one.

    --
    All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
  2. Subject to the whims of the masses... by robinsonne · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So if enough people don't believe something and flag it false, it becomes "false." Something else for paid shills and opinionated people to do I suppose.

    1. Re:Subject to the whims of the masses... by KermodeBear · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That was my immediate reaction as well.

      "I don't agree with the political / religious / philosophical point of the article, so I am going to flag it as false, even if I know that it is true."

      Just what we needed, yet another tool to promote drama and division among people.

      --
      Love sees no species.
  3. Re:Cool by thaylin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Exactly, dont like the political/religious message so flag it false and less people will see it.

    --
    When you cant win, ad hominem.
  4. tag, but don't hide! by Unordained · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd rather that people who would normally see such a hoax article in their feed, always go ahead and see it -- with the disclaimer attached. They're likely to see it elsewhere anyway, why not use the opportunity to inform them that it's likely false? Instead, they get to see a story on Fox, then open their Facebook feed, and see nothing about it ... now not only are they not told it's false, it even looks like a liberal conspiracy to cover-up the truth! So very helpful.

  5. False Flag by pipingguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What about false flagging 'False' flags? I can't see any kind of coordinated abuse of this system at all, especially on political issues (which of course, don't exist on Facebook).

  6. Re:Cool by sideslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You mean "fewer people", not "less people".

    So how about when a bunch of religious people flag a story on evolution as false? Sounds like this semi-curating of stories will turn more on Facebook demographics than on objective facts.

  7. Re:Cool by ohnocitizen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Instead you'll get atheist or "the wrong religion(tm)" posts being flagged as false. Plus, not all political messages are such that "false will probably do". Which of the following political statements should be marked false?

    "The economy was hit hard by the housing crisis"

    "Unchecked human industry is negatively impacting the environment"

    "Medical expenses are the number 1 cause of bankruptcy in America"

    "The US constitution prohibits establishment of religion by congress"



    I think all of them are true, but not everyone will agree.