Facebook begins fact-checking news in state
Bengaluru: With the state heading for the polls in May, Facebook has announced a third-party fact-checking programme here to fight spread of fake news on its platform.
The social media giant on Tuesday partnered with BOOM, an independent digital journalism initiative, for a pilot programme that will first roll out in the southern state.
Karnataka goes to election on May 12, and the counting of votes will take place on May 15.
"Starting today, BOOM, certified through the International Fact-Checking Network, non-partisan international fact checking network at Poynter, will be able to review English language news stories flagged on Facebook, check facts, and rate their accuracy," Facebook said in a blog post.
Facebook has 217 million monthly active users in India.
"We are beginning small and know it is important to learn from this test and listen to our community as we continue to update ways for people to understand what might be false news in their News Feed," it added.
Once a story is rated as false, Facebook has learned to reduce its distribution by 80 per cent.
"When a fact-checker rates a story as false, we will show it lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution. This, in turn, stops the hoax from spreading and reduces the number of people who see it," Facebook said.
"We'll also send people and Page Admins notifications if they try to share a story or have shared one in the past that's been determined to be false," Facebook noted.
According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it is important to make sure no one interferes in any more elections, including in India.
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Woman kills teenage daughter before taking own life in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): A 45-year-old woman allegedly smothered her 13-year-old daughter before taking her own life at their residence in the Whitefield area of the city on Tuesday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Suvarna, a homemaker and her daughter Tarunya, they said.
The incident occurred around 11 am. When police reached the spot, they found that the woman had allegedly smothered the girl and later died by suicide by hanging herself, a senior police officer said.
Suvarna’s husband, Chandrashekhar, who works as a compounder at a private hospital in the city, was at work when the incident occurred, the officer added.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the woman may have been suffering from psychiatric issues.
She reportedly used to worry about her daughter's future in the event of her own death.
Two cases have been registered in connection with the incident.
One was filed based on a complaint by Chandrashekhar alleging the killing of his daughter, while another was lodged by Suvarna’s brother, Manjunath, expressing suspicion about the deaths, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
