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Facebook to offer more info on posts after fake news and data scandals

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Facebook is launching a new feature in Canada that allows users to get more information on who is behind articles and content on the platform.
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MENLO PARK, Calif. — Facebook is launching a new feature in Canada that allows users to get more information on who is behind articles and content on the platform.

The U.S.-based social media giant says the company is rolling out a button on news feeds that will help Canadian users evaluate the credibility of an article and determine whether to trust the article’s source.

When pressed, the button will lead to the poster’s Wikipedia entry, related articles on the same topic and information about how many times the article has been shared on Facebook and where it is has been shared.

The button will also provide other content published on the platform by the poster, show users which of their friends shared the post and state how old the domain behind the post is.

The launch of the features comes as Facebook has struggled to stop the spread of fake news and deal with the consequences of admitting earlier in the year that the data of up to 50 million Facebook users may have been misused by analytics firm Cambridge Analytica to target voters in the 2016 U.S. election with political advertisements.