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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Mumbai: Group demands Aadhaar cards from hawkers, beats them up
Mumbai, Apr 26 (PTI): A case has been registered against nine persons associated with a political party for allegedly asking the names of hawkers in Shivaji Park area of central Mumbai and beating them up, police said on Saturday.
No arrest has been made but notices have been issued to the accused following the incident on Friday, said an officials.
According to complainant Saurabh Mishra, the accused demanded to see Aadhaar cards of hawkers and asked their names before assaulting them.
Probe is underway, the official said.
The Shivaji Park area in Dadar has traditionally been a stronghold of the undivided Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
