Facebook announces steps to combat fake news ahead of UK general election

Facebook is launching new features to help suppress fake news in the context of the upcoming general election in the United Kingdom. The company will delete thousands of fake profiles, will work together with a fact checking charity, and will cease to promote implausible posts. It is also publishing newspaper adverts with tips to spot fake news. According to a Facebook spokesperson, the changes are expected to ‘reduce the spread of material generated through inauthentic activity, including spam, misinformation, or other deceptive content that is often shared by creators of fake accounts’.