CivilNet joins Meta’s fact-checking program in Armenia

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. American tech conglomerate Meta launched a third-party fact-checking program in Armenia together with CivilNet, the media outlet’s website reported on Tuesday.

CivilNet, whose fact-checking department has been certified by the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network, will employ native Armenian language fact-checkers to review and rate the accuracy of content in Armenia.

As part of Meta’s continuous fight against misinformation, the company partners with independent, third-party fact-checkers around the world, who review and rate the accuracy of content. When a fact checker rates a piece of content as false, the company shows it lower in the feed, significantly reducing its distribution. This stops misinformation from spreading and reduces the number of people who see it. Pages, groups, and accounts that repeatedly share false news will also see their distribution reduced and their ability to monetize and advertise removed. When a post has been marked as false, Meta warns people who see the post, or try to share the post, that it has been marked as false. Fact-checkers do not remove content, accounts, or pages from Facebook or Instagram.

CivilNet will begin fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in July. Meta already works with nearly 100 fact-checking partners in more than 60 languages globally.