Google, Facebook Launch Crackdown On Fake News Sites
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Facing criticism over fake news stories that have proliferated during the election season, both Google and Facebook have announced changes to crack down on such sites.
According to The Associated Press, Google announced Monday that it would ban its ad software from appearing on sites that "misrepresent, misstate or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher's content, or the primary purpose."
Also on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook also banned fake news sites from using the company's advertising network.
"While implied, we have updated the policy to explicitly clarify that this applies to fake news," a Facebook spokesperson told the newspaper.
On Monday, Google faced scrutiny after users searching for "final election numbers" were led to a fake news site called "70 News" that claimed Donald Trump had won the popular vote over Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. To come up with its numbers, 70 News sourced another fake news site that did not have the numbers and laid out its own conspiracy theory on how Trump won the popular vote.
Multiple news sources, including CBS News, CNN and Fox News have said Clinton continues to have a lead in the popular vote as of Tuesday morning. Clinton's lead in the popular vote is expected to grow, as votes from California and Washington continue to be counted.
Facebook is also dealing with criticism of fake campaign stories being shared, along with fake news becoming highlighted on the site's "Trending Topics" section after human editors were fired in favor of using an algorithm.
After Tuesday's vote, CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the idea of such stories influencing the outcome of the election.
TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
