Threads is getting third-party fact checkers to review some of its content to help identify misinformation, false conspiracies, and fake news on the social media platform.”We recently rolled out the ability for our third-party fact-checking partners to review and rate false content on Threads,” wrote the head of Instagram and Threads Adam Mosseri Tuesday night. “Previously, we matched near-identical false content on Threads based on what was fact-checked on Facebook and Instagram. Now fact checkers can rate Threads content on its own.”This means that while Threads posts may have been subject to some fact checks previously, that identification only occurred if the same or similar fake content had already been flagged and found on Instagram or Facebook first. This might have been somewhat helpful, especially considering the large number of Threads posts that are simply re-posts of others’ content, but wasn’t a proactive approach to finding and reviewing fake content first posted to Threads. Now, Meta’s network of third-party fact checkers will be able to scour the app for potential problems.One independent social media fact checker Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse says Threads still needs to increase its search feature’s functionality, though, to make the platform easier for fact checkers to use. “I’m a fact checker but still can’t work here because your search option still doesn’t give a chronological result or allows to search for word combinations on desktop,” Teeuwisse wrote in response to Mosseri’s post.Since its launch in July last year, Threads has added a number of new features to make the Twitter rival feel less like a simplified, text-based extension of Instagram and more like its own fully-fledged app. Meta has rolled out a web browser version of Threads, trending topics, the ability to limit people from quoting your posts, and improved its search feature somewhat. It still feels a bit bare-bones overall, however, and it doesn’t look like Threads is getting its own direct-message feature anytime soon (instead, it may just redirect users to DM on Instagram).
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It’s worth noting that just because fact checkers are coming to Threads, that doesn’t mean you won’t continue to see fake or misleading content. Meta’s fact-checking policies don’t usually involve the removal of fake content. Typically, when a Meta-approved fact checker finds fake or misleading content, it’s labeled as “False,” “Altered,” “Partly False,” “Missing Context,” “Satire,” or “True.” Misleading or fake posts are then suppressed in their respective social media app’s algorithm so that they aren’t circulated more widely, but there’s still a chance you could stumble upon fake posts as you explore the app.
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