Facebook and Google strike out against ‘fake news’
The platforms are under scrutiny for helping to spread false stories during this year’s presidential election, and recent policy changes bar certain sites from advertising.
Google and Facebook aim to stop the spread of false news stories online by hitting the creators where it hurts: their pocketbooks.
On Monday, both companies announced policy changes to stop the spread of “fake news” by blocking the producers of that content from using their advertising networks.
Google kicked off the action on Monday afternoon when the Silicon Valley search giant said it would ban websites that peddle fake news from using its online advertising service. Hours later, Facebook, the social network, updated the language in its Facebook Audience Network policy, which already says it will not display ads in sites that show misleading or illegal content, to include fake news sites.
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