This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
Facebook has taken a significant step to combat the spread of misinformation by introducing a notification screen that warns users against sharing outdated content.
According to Facebook, the notification screen will appear when users click the share button on articles older than 90 days, giving them the option to either 'Go back' or continue sharing if they believe the article is still relevant.
Facebook has acknowledged that old stories shared out of their original context play a role in spreading misinformation, and that news publishers have expressed concerns about older stories being shared on social media as current news.
As part of its efforts to provide more context, Facebook will also be testing the use of notification screens for posts with links mentioning COVID-19, and exploring the use of a similar notification screen that provides information about the source of the link and directs people to the COVID-19 Information Center for authoritative health information.
Facebook's goal is to make it easier for people to identify content that's timely, reliable, and most valuable to them.
