Facebook may proactively remove pages and groups before they spread fake news

Facebook app logoFacebook has warned that it will begin proactively shutting down pages and groups associated with previously removed ones, even if they haven’t violated the social network’s Community Standards.

The move aims to stop page owners from using existing pages and groups that they also manage to re-distribute content from their shut down ones. Facebook says, according to a blog post, it will look at “a broad set of information, including whether the page has the same people administering it, or has a similar name, to the one we’re removing” in order to enforce its new policy.

The social network also announced a new ‘Page Quality’ tab, which is designed to help page managers to understand how well they are complying with Facebook’s guidelines. The tab includes information about content that has been recently removed for a violation and content deemed ‘false’, ‘mixture’, or ‘false headline’ by third-party fact-checkers.  

Page Quality will start by including content removed for breaching policies relating to hate speech, graphic violence, harassment and bullying, regulated goods, nudity or sexual activity, and support or praise of people and events that are not allowed on the platform. For the time being, Facebook will not be showing content removals associated with things like spam, clickbait, or IP violations.

“We hope this will give people the information they need to police bad behaviour from fellow Page managers, better understand our Community Standards, and, let us know if we’ve made an incorrect decision on content they posted,” said Facebook.