Facebook can be a great place to share information and news, but the platform has a big problem with misinformation.
Fake news sites that pump out scare stories and spread misinformation through ads started to appear a few years ago and are still very active today.
But finally, the days of posting fake news on Facebook without facing any response from the company have come to an end.
Facebook is cracking down on users who share fake news and will punish them with less exposure on their friends' news feeds. For now, they don't need to worry about being banned, but their posts will have a much lower reach.
Facebook tried to restrict the spread of posts that fact-checkers deemed false, but this required human intervention and misinformation could spread faster than anyone could stop it.
Sites can also be subject to penalties. When someone tries to visit a page spreading fake news, a message will popup containing an explanation from a fact-checker.
Research shows that the same narrow group of people usually responsible for starting fake news. Reducing their reach on the platform should make it easier to curb them.
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