Facebook Extends Fact-checking Feature to 10 African Countries

Facebook has extended its third-party fact-checking project to 10 more Sub-Saharan African countries. This was achieved in partnership with Agence France-Presse (AFP), France 24, Dubawa, and Pesa Check fact-checking platforms. Facebook’s effort to tackle false news through the fact-checking project now cuts across 15 African countries.

Facebook introduced its fact-checking program to tackle fake news across Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal in 2018. The program allows Facebook to ascertain the accuracy of news, filter fakes from the news feed and warn users who attempt to post these stories. Facebook partnered with independent fact-checking organizations to detect the accuracy of news on its platform.

The program is now available through a partnership with AFP in Ethiopia, Zambia, Somalia, and Burkina Faso; through France 24 and AFP in Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d’Ivoire; through France 24 in Guinea, through Pesa Check-in Uganda and Tanzania, and a partnership with Dubawa in Ghana.

With this latest development, all dubious articles will be channeled to Facebook’s third-party fact-checking partners to verify and curb the spread of fake news across the aforementioned countries.

“Taking steps to help tackle false news on Facebook is a responsibility we take seriously, we know misinformation is a problem, and these are important steps in continuing to address this issue,” says Phil Chetwynd, AFP Global News Director.

“AFP is delighted to be expanding its fact-checking project with Facebook. We are known for the high quality of our journalism from across Africa and we will be leveraging our unparalleled network of bureaus and journalists on the continent to combat misinformation,” he added.