Facebook takes aim at ‘low quality’ websites

The world’s biggest social network said it is updating its ranking algorithm with the help of artificial intelligence so users would see fewer posts “that link to these low-quality web page experiences.”<br />Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Facebook said Wednesday it was making changes designed to keep its users from linking to “low-quality” websites, part of an effort to fight spam and misinformation.


The world’s biggest social network said it is updating its ranking algorithm with the help of artificial intelligence so users would see fewer posts “that link to these low-quality web page experiences.”


“With this update, we reviewed hundreds of thousands of web pages linked to/from Facebook to identify those that contain little substantive content and have a large number of disruptive, shocking or malicious ads,” a Facebook blog post said.



“If we determine a post might link to these types of low-quality web pages, it may show up lower in people’s feeds and may not be eligible to be an ad,” the blog post from researchers Jiun-Ren Lin and Shengbo Guo said.

 

 “This way people can see fewer misleading posts and more informative posts.”


The move is the latest by Facebook to attack “fake news” and other forms of misinformation, as well as to crack down on “click farms” that aim to generate revenue from users linking to websites.


Facebook, which came under criticism for its role in the spread of misinformation during the 2016 US presidential campaign, has argued the platform did not play a major role in influencing voters.


The social network with nearly two billion users worldwide also recently stepped up its security to counter efforts by governments and others to spread misinformation or manipulate discussions for political reasons.