What Happens When Fake News False Flags Good Content?

Sharing content on social media channels is a standard operation for marketing. Content is shared on a regular basis to reflect your brand values and raise awareness around your message. Images, videos, post copy, and all other types of content are optimized for reach and quality.

So I was very surprised to see an analyst report that highlighted 5G get flagged by Facebook's fact checkers. The report came from a recognized analyst organization, and took a look at some of the needs that telecom operators would need to adopt for the successful deployment of 5G networks. It was even-handed, insightful and useful content for the telecommunications sector. What could the fact checkers possibly have found 'partly false' in this report?

What happened and what flagged this content as false?

Looking at the issue, the first thing that appeared under this Facebook post for the 5G report was a link suggesting why the content was problematic. In 2016, Facebook introduced a program for independent fact-checkers to flag fake news as “disputed.” This was a good thing, in theory. While Facebook still wasn’t running every story through a fact-check, deleting false information from its platform, or banning unreliable blogs and media outlets from sharing stories on Facebook, it was however using the flags to make people think twice before believing a headline or sharing false information.

In my case, the fact checker had linked the content to theories surrounding the dangers of 5G. There has been a strange theory gathering momentum that the recent rollout of 5G technology is to blame for the coronavirus pandemic. Scientists have stated in absolute terms that there's absolutely no way 5G mobile phone signals either transmit the virus or reduce our defenses to it. Scientists say that this is biologically impossible. But this hasn't stopped these rumors from going global, leading to protests even in countries where the technology doesn't yet exist.

The fact checker, whether a human or an AI algorithm, apparently identified the keyword '5G' and connected this to the prevalent conspiracy theories surrounding 5G. For me, this was a real head-scratcher. Of all the concepts to connect 5G to, whether it be low latency gaming or IoT appliances, the most significant connection made was to an extremely dubious theory.

How to appeal the false flag on Facebook content

I wanted to set the record straight. Not only did a big note appear on the banner claiming that this was partly false content, but a link appeared below the post connecting it to the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theories. While promoting industry content on a social media channel was meant to enhance credibility and awareness, this could do the exact opposite.

I looked around the post, hoping or expecting, to find a button from Facebook to 'click to appeal fact checking'. However no such button exists. It seemed like the post would have to remain on Facebook 'as is'.

It turns out that I had to dig a bit and find out how the Facebook fact checker works. Facebook explains this, saying "We use both technology and human review to remove fake accounts, promote news literacy and disrupt the financial incentives of spammers. In certain countries, we also work with third-party fact-checkers who are certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network to help identify and review false news."

In fact there is an entire network of third party fact checkers working with Facebook, based locally around the world. I started with turning to the the third party fact checker located in my country. I explained that "Facebook has erroneously flagged this as ‘partly false information’. We want to appeal to the fact checker to correct this flag and remove the note. This report deals with technology for 5G networks and has nothing to do with the conspiracy theories surrounding 5G."

The fact checker responded to my request very quickly, explaining to me that they were not responsible for the flag but a US-based fact checker had flagged the content.

Unflagging falsely flagged content and restoring the record

In my continued pursuit of truth, I went to the website of the fact checker. I followed the note that had been added to the post, and reached the Politifact site. Looking through the site, I still tried to find a button or form or page dedicated to appealing falsely flagged content. While I found an explanation of the process used for fact checking, I still couldn't find the simple process for sharing my situation and to ask for an appeal.

So I went back to Facebook, found the Politifact company page, and sent them a direct message note via Facebook messenger. I received a response very quickly, saying "If you received notification that something you shared was false or missing context, learn more about how the ratings and appeal process works on Facebook bit.ly/2OFdGjp, or email us directly at [email protected]. Please include a link to the post."

I shared my story to their email address, and I received an explanation about the flag very fast. They wrote, "Thanks for alerting us to this. It does not appear that PolitiFact manually entered a rating on this, but it's possible it got caught by some of the automatic tagging Facebook does after a similar item is flagged as containing false content. I am going to take action on our side to hopefully remove the rating, but I will also send a note to Facebook to request they remove it as well. Please hang tight and I'll update you when I know more. Please don't delete it in the meantime as that will interfere with our ability to correct the issue."

I waited patiently and within a few minutes I had an update that the flag had been successfully removed. I checked the post and everything was clean - no more flag, no more notes connecting it to conspiracy theories. So all is not lost when Facebook false flags content as fake news, and with a bit of legwork the truth can really come out.