Deleting fake news accounts can be a big game of whack-a-mole. It seems like no matter how many of these disruptive pages social platforms like Facebook and Twitter get rid of, more pop up. Now Twitter is turning to automation to help delete and manage accounts more efficiently. Twitter announced that it has acquired Fabula AI , a London-based artificial intelligence company that specializes in “Geometric Deep Learning to identify fake news,” according to the company’s website. “This strategic investment in graph deep learning research, technology and talent will be a key driver as we work to help people feel safe on Twitter and help them see relevant information,” Twitter said in a blog post . The company said that Fabula’s initial focus will be to “improve the health” of conversations on Twitter and expand applications to stop spam and abuse. “We are really excited to join the ML research team at Twitter, and work together to grow their team and capabilities,” Fabula co-founder...

Like most social media platforms, Twitter has consistently struggled to crack down on election interference. Recently, the company removed 10,000 accounts linked to targeted misinformation campaigns in preparation of the midterm elections, but more needs to be done. This year, important elections are happening around the globe, including in India and the European Union. On Wednesday, Twitter announced its new feature to strengthen its approach to stopping deliberate attempts to mislead voters: a “misleading about voting” report option. “Voting is a fundamental human right and the public conversation occurring on Twitter is never more important than during elections,” Twitter said. “Any attempts to undermine the process of registering to vote or engaging in the electoral process is contrary to our company’s core values.” The option will be ingrained into the pre-existing structure for reporting tweets. Twitter Safety — the company’s account dedicated to safety updates — showed off...

On Monday, people around the world watched as the Notre Dame cathedral went up in flames. Several outlets — like CBS — immediately began to livestream the fire on YouTube. Then, something strange happened. People noticed that beneath the the Notre Dame livestream, YouTube began to insert information about the 9/11 attacks. Multiple people on Twitter posted screenshots, including Joshua Benton, the director of Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab. “Why in the world is YouTube putting information about9/11 underneath the Notre Dame livestream from France 24?” Benton tweeted , adding, “(Especially since it seems like, at least for right now, ongoing renovations are the most likely cause, no indication of terror).” Why in the world is @YouTube putting information about 9/11 underneath the Notre Dame livestream from @FRANCE24 ? (Especially since it seems like, at least right now, ongoing renovations are the most likely cause, no indication of terror) https://t.co/A3HP36epxx...

Online misinformation is a huge problem across the globe, and different countries are taking their own routes to tackle it. Singapore is set to pass a law that would make sites accountable for “fake news,” according to The Straits Times . The proposed law would allow Singapore’s government to remove content violating its new rules, The Straits Times reported. This falls under the Protection from the Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, which was introduced in Singapore’s parliament on Monday. Under the law, sites would also have to show corrections or display warnings about misinformation. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated, according to The Straits Times, “In extreme and urgent cases, the legislation will also require online news sources to take down fake news before irreparable damage is done.” Other countries are fighting to stop the spread of misinformation as well. Singapore’s proposed law is reminiscent of one in Malaysia, which also criminalizes fake news. It was...

Facebook announced Thursday in a blog post that it is actively curbing anti-vaccine misinformation on its platform. The company said it will be providing its users with “authoritative” information on vaccines. Facebook said it will now remove ads that have vaccine misinformation and repeated violators’ accounts will be disabled. Groups and pages that promote anti-vaxer talking points will be subject to reduced rankings, and removed from suggested content and searches. The policies will also extend to Instagram. Ads and other content that contain vaccine misinformation will not be suggested on the platform’s discover and hashtag pages. Facebook is using studies and research provided by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify vaccine hoaxes in order to better keep track of misinformation campaigns. “We also believe in providing people with additional context so they can decide whether to read, share, or engage in conversations...

Midterm elections are right around the corner and Twitter is still dealing with misinformation on it’s platform. Friday, the social media giant revealed that it’s removed more than 10,000 accounts linked to targeted misinformation campaigns since late September. Twitter was notified by the Democratic Party and said the removed accounts violated its policies. The social media company and other platforms have been criticized as their websites are used to spread misinformation, propaganda and as a place for hate speech and violence. Last week, Twitter said it lost more than 9 million accounts after the company began aggressively removing robot and spam accounts from the platform. In September Twitter updated its usage policy forbidding the use of dehumanizing language emphasizing its efforts to remove problematic content. The updated policy does not focus on voter suppression and misinformation and the company has been criticized by lawmakers for not proactively removing bot accounts....