Written Analysis and Communication

PACADI Framework

Facebook Fake News in the Post-Truth World

Submitted To:
Prof. Sriparna Basu

Submitted By:
Siddharth Goyal
153108
IMG 15E
Facebook History

Facebook is a social networking site that started as FaceMash on October 28, 2003, before being renamed
to TheFacebook on February 4, 2004. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Harvard University
classmates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, among others. The
founders initially limited website membership to Harvard students, but gradually expanded to include
other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and eventually several universities in the United States
and Canada, and organizations, and, in September 2006, everyone had a valid email address and four
years. 13 or more.

Overview:

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook as he understands the importance of people communicating with
each other. As it grew and introduced new services, Facebook was under many threats. Whatsapp, for
example, was introduced in 2009 as an instant messaging service that allowed mobile users to send and
receive messages worldwide without incurring international phone costs. In 2010, Instagram, a mobile
photo-sharing app, was launched. These two applications became a major threat to Facebook.

In January 2017, Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, were caught red-handed. Donald Trump’s victory
in the United States in November 2016 was blamed on Facebook’s work of introducing top news feeds
based on their preferences and previous searches, and accused them of exposing false stories to people
who changed their views, which influenced the election. This caused quite a stir in the whole country, and
many people asked for help.

This story is a good example of how the internet, technology, and social media can be used for malicious
purposes.
Problem Definition:

1. Fake News: Facebook has been criticised in the United States for manipulating people's opinions and
votes, culminating in Donald Trump's election.

2. Lack of Regulatory Power: The absence of regulatory power was also mentioned as a problem. Some
laws and regulations should be in place to prevent the spread of fake news.

3. Tools vs Content: According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is a technological firm, not a media company.
They make tools, not content, and it is not their obligation to generate content. Users are the exclusive
creators of content.

Alternatives:

For the Facebook problem, there are a variety of options that might be recommended.

These are the following:

1. Verification: Verification will require news organisations or pages to apply for verification and prove that
they are a reliable source for news to be published with a certified flag.

2. Flagging: To filter out real users and content, flagging is an option. A false floor can be "marked" by the
user, and if there are enough people marking the property as fake, visitors will receive a warning box
before clicking.

3. Update the Facebook algorithm: This can be done to improve the identification and control of user clicks
and popularity, as well as to reduce the spread of misleading information by recognising keywords in posts.
The algorithm may scan the content of an object and its title to determine whether it includes incorrect
information.

4. Ranking: Articles are promoted or hidden depending on the shadow of sharing. Each member of the
social network is given points (public or private) based on the response to the news you send.

5. Collaboration with fact-checking sites: Facebook may work with technology companies that can identify
fake news using keywords or other methods.

6. Education campaign: Users will be educated and informed about the difference between official and
fake news through the free education campaign.
Criteria:

There can be many different criteria to solve the decision-making problem. These are:

1. Time: Each method takes time to get started. Facebook needs another effective method when it
comes to the time it takes to get started. This ensures that the results are quick and effective. The
less time it takes for an alternative to become effective, the more successful it becomes.

2. Profitability: Because some alternatives require a new build, costs are considered to be
considerable. One of the most important ways to determine a company's market value is by its
profitability. The cost of using a particular option should be kept as low as possible.

3. Technology used: The technology used has been standardized, as some methods require new
technology and some can be replaced with current technology.

4. Avoid defamation: The principle is that real news sites are not classified as fake news sites, which
increase consumer loyalty and gain more users. It was created under the help factor.

5. Unaffected processes: This ensures that while focusing on another problem, other company
processes should not be affected in any way.

Analysis:

Table 1 denotes the rating of each alternative against the criteria.

Analysis Cost Minimum Technolog Avoid Unaffected Sum Ranking

(out of 10) effective Time y Used Defamatio Process
n and gain
trust
Verification 8 7 2 2 2 21 5
Flagging 9 7 5 6 2 29 1
Update 6 5 7 4 2 24 2
Algorithm
Ranking 5 8 3 3 3 23 3
Collaborati 5 6 2 2 2 17 6
on
Education 5 5 5 5 2 22 4

Advantages and Disadvantages

 1. Update Facebook Algorithm
Benefit: Helps users get a fresh start by avoiding fake news most effectively.
Disadvantages: A costly, risky and time-consuming method.

2. Flagging
Benefit: Identify fake news and help users use Facebook effectively.
Disadvantages: Opposition may start a fake flagging campaign.

3. Collaboration with Fact Check System

Benefit: Removes unanimous control of Facebook.
Disadvantages: Costly and heavy on Facebook because of the plugins.

4. Share reputation rankings

Benefit: Easy and fast implementation because of user feedback.
Disadvantages: Fake news can truly raise votes and ruin the algorithm.

5. Education Campaign.
Benefit: Does not affect Facebook's internal process
Disadvantages: It is a time-consuming process and the results are not guaranteed.

6. Check the news media page

Benefit: This system is easy to implement and has the potential to appeal to most publications
Disadvantages: Requires additional staff to maintain the system

Decision:

After reviewing all the alternatives, we came to the conclusion that launching a flagging system would be
the best alternative. This is cheaper and requires less startup time. Nor does it affect the ongoing process.
This can carefully improve the use of technology and prevent fake messages from being transmitted to real
users. Given the short start time, this seems to be the best decision Facebook can make. The next best
option Facebook should take is to update its algorithm. Considering the costs and changes it brings, it
seems to be the next best option. This will reduce your defamation and gain the trust of your users.

Implementation:

First, you need to create a team in the company to manage the entire verification process and get a better
understanding of all media rules. The team can then decide which rule applies in the case of Facebook. You
can set specific guidelines, rules, and regulations regarding the effects of false news and false postings. You
can also talk to administrators who can guide you and help you do better. You can include guidelines on
Facebook page building and content types to share. Since Facebook is a media company, not a content
company, after creating guidelines, post it on the official page or website for all users to know, and make
the right decision when posting content on Facebook. You may be offered. This allows Facebook to store
better images in less time. Next, Facebook needs to create a form or page on the wall that the media
organization can apply to see the page. This form contains most of the required input, including conditions
(page or individual), category (news agency, freelance journalist, etc.), country, photo upload options, and
final queries including reasons for verifying your account. Can be installed. Third, the team needs to
develop a robust authentication method. In addition to the Facebook Terms of Service, your account must
be genuine and represent a real person, agency, or company. The account should be functional and
complete as it should have all the necessary details. The account itself needs to be noted, and the person,
agency, or company is known and needs a lot of searching. An account must be unique because it must
represent the unique gift of each individual, agency, or company represented. In addition, the account
should be very reliable. NS. You need to publish informative and engaging articles regularly.