Singapore is the fifth Asia-Pacific country that Facebook has expanded the fact-checking programme to. Facebook will be working with international news organisation Agence France-Presse (AFP) to reduce the spread of misinformation and quality of news people find online.
This programme has also been launched in Philippines, Indonesia, India and Australia. The programme was first launched in the United Kingdom and States in 2016.
AFP will be verifying the accuracy of news on Facebook that are being spread in Singapore. Stories in English, Mandarin and Malay will be monitored.
The programme works by identifying potential fake news based on user feedback and through their own algorithms. A fact-checker will also proactively identify fake news. AFP will then review the accuracy of the articles. If the article is rated as a fake news, the article will appear lower in the news feed.
Articles that have already been fact-checked will have a label attached as well.
This comes after the announcement of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill in Singapore. Many Singaporeans have displayed their concerns over the new bill as they are worried that the Government of the day will use it to their own advantage and dictate what is real and fake by themselves.
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