• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Zuckerberg Details Further Fake News Controls for Facebook

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 19, 2016, 11:21 AM ET
Facebook Holds f8 Developers Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 30: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the opening kenote at the Facebook f8 conference on April 30, 2014 in San Francisco, California. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the annual one-day F8 developers conference. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Justin Sullivan—Getty Images

In a post late Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a bevy of new initiatives to crack down on fake or misleading news. Facebook has faced intense criticism in the wake of the November 9th election, primarily from left-leaning critics arguing that huge volumes of false news spread on the site influenced the electorate, perhaps contributing to Donald Trump’s victory.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Zuckerberg, despite previously rejecting such arguments, wrote in the new statement that “we take misinformation seriously.” He says Facebook will develop “stronger detection” through technical systems—that is, artificial intelligence and machine learning programs that can rank sources by trustworthiness. That could look something like a metric being developed by the university-based Trust Project, which would rate outlets according to their consistency and reputation, reporters’ expertise, and diversity of perspectives.

Facebook will also look to third parties for help with verifying news sources. Zuckerberg cites “respected fact checking organizations,” saying the company is already in discussions with some and hopes to work with many. Sites such as Politifact.com and Factcheck.org may become sources for warning labels attached to stories that have been deemed untrustworthy.

Zuckerberg also says that Facebook will work to make it easier for users to report fake news. That feature has been available for years, but flagging content as fake currently requires digging through three layers of menus.

For more on Facebook and the news, watch our video.

Finally, Zuckerberg reiterated Facebook’s new policy of banning purveyors of misinformation from advertising on the site. That’s a small step towards a bigger goal of, in Zuckerberg’s words, “disrupting fake news economics”—many of the fake news pieces that have gone viral on the platform during the election were produced by financially-motivated publishers, including a cadre of Macedonian teenagers recently profiled by Buzzfeed.

Given the renewed post-election scrutiny of Facebook’s persistently troubled relationship with news sharing, these moves are good PR. But they also represent steps away from the site’s insistence that it’s a platform, not a media company—a stance that protects it from regulation or prosecution for content shared by users.

 

About the Author
By David Z. Morris
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

C-SuiteMarketing
Adrien Brody’s multimillion‑dollar TurboTax Super Bowl ad: Intuit’s CMO explains why the software giant spends more on marketing than R&D
By Geoff ColvinFebruary 15, 2026
15 minutes ago
AIProductivity
AI is everywhere except in the data, suggesting it will enhance labor in some sectors rather than replace workers in all sectors, top economist says
By Jason MaFebruary 14, 2026
13 hours ago
AIData centers
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei explains his spending caution, warning if AI growth forecasts are off by just a year, ‘then you go bankrupt’
By Jason MaFebruary 14, 2026
15 hours ago
LawSurveillance
Amazon’s Ring ends partnership with top operator of license-plate reading systems after Super Bowl ad raises fears of dystopian surveillance society
By The Associated PressFebruary 14, 2026
20 hours ago
PoliticsDrone
Congress let more law enforcement agencies to down rogue drones. Then Customs and Border Protection fired a laser, shutting down an airport
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressFebruary 14, 2026
20 hours ago
hawkinson
CommentaryInfrastructure
Your essential services are one surprise failure away from disruption. Consider how physical AI could tackle the crisis
By Alex HawkinsonFebruary 14, 2026
22 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloFebruary 13, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott says her college roommate loaned her $1,000 so she wouldn't have to drop out—and is now inspiring her to give away billions
By Sydney LakeFebruary 14, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Analog-obsessed Gen Zers are buying $40 app blockers to limit their social media use and take a break from the ‘slot machine in your pocket’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 13, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Some folks on Wall Street think yesterday’s U.S. jobs number is ‘implausible’ and thus due for a downward correction
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 12, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude spark coding revolution as developers say they've abandoned traditional programming
By Beatrice NolanFebruary 13, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Every U.S. Olympian was promised a $200,000 payout, but how much they actually keep depends on where they live
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 11, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.