Facebook now strictly prohibits posts that endanger someone financially or misleads them through false claims of earning a profit or financial stability.
Facebook has previously banned posts inciting violence, threats, hate speech and political scam posts but now it has included getting rich quick misleading schemes as well. Facebook today updated its policy with more transparent rules it can relate to when enforcing the policy in the future. Vice President of policy Richard Allen published today, “We do not, for example, allow content that could physically or financially endanger people, that intimidates people through hateful language, or that aims to profit by tricking people using Facebook.”
In a recent statement, the social media giant clarified that not only will it ban posts that incite violence, coercion and hate speech but will also prohibit posts that allow anti-social elements to make a profit at the expense of someone else. Web searches show this is the first time Facebook has made changes regarding financial attacks.
The social media company said it will fight against spammers, scammers and shady businesses making false claims about products.
Facebook further clarified its stance on the fake posts saying that “whether or not a Facebook post is accurate is not itself a reason to block it.” Therefore despite blocking content for being fake, Facebook demotes posts that are flagged by fact checkers in their News Feed.
Allan added, “Rather than blocking content for being untrue, we demote posts in the News Feed when rated false by fact-checkers and also point people to accurate articles on the same subject.”
Facebook has been very active against fake posts and making the platform credible following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Just 2 months back, Facebook announced to expand its fact-checking program and adoption of machine learning to combat fake news.
Facebook is also planning to implement machine learning technology to find duplicates of fake stories. The algorithm will downrank fake news and demote pages that are spreading sponsored hoaxes in various countries. Facebook believes the technology will help them stay accountable and track their progress.
