UK-based Full Fact urges Facebook to share more data to help fact checkers

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time, one of Facebook’s 3rd party fact checking (3PFC) partners, UK-based Full Fact, released a transparency report on the program.

The report, published on Tuesday, July 30, includes 10 recommendations to Facebook to improve the 3PFC program, which was created to stop the spread of false information on the social media platform.

Full Fact is calling on Facebook to release more data to to their fact checking partners, specifically on how posts have been shared over time and the reach of fact check stories.

These, they said, will be used to better prioritize content to check, assess the impact of a fact check story on a post’s virality, and see how effective the program really is.

They also asked Facebook to be clearer on how they are using data from fact checkers for machine learning for preventing bad actors from spreading disinformation.

Other suggestions from Full Fact focus on further improvement of the program such as developing tools for better identification of potentially harmful content, changing the current rating system, and expanding the initiative to include Instagram content.

The report also includes a Facebook’s response, in which they say Full Fact’s recommendations are being actively pursued by its teams.

Facebook’s 3PFC program began in December 2016 and now includes partners from 40 countries. The 3PFC partners in the Philippines are Rappler and Vera Files.

Full Fact and Rappler are both signatories of Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network Code of Principles.

Full Fact is an independent fact checking charity launched in the UK in 2010. They are funded by individuals, charitable trusts, and corporate supporters, and earn money from running statistical masterclasses and their trading company Full Fact Services. – Rappler.com