Facebook Tests New Contextual 'Labels' for Posts From Popular Pages

Facebook is testing the use of Page labels as a way to give people more context about the posts that appear in their news feed, the social network has announced.

facebook test labels
Politicians' pages will be marked with the label "public official," while the labels "fan page" and "satire page" will be applied to posts from the relevant pages, with the aim of helping users to distinguish between genuine news reports from satirical stories written by the likes of The Onion.

The labels should also allow users to immediately realize when they are reading news from real authorities or more questionable sources, which could reduce confusion, mitigate the spread of fake news on the platform, and reduce avoidable flame wars in comments.

The new labels will appear below Page names on relevant posts in the news feed, and users can expand them to read more about why they are deemed necessary.

The labels are currently limited to Facebook in the U.S., and the feature has only just started being tested, so the ability to label pages accordingly and see the labels in posts may still be rolling out.

Facebook has been criticized heavily in the past for not doing enough to stop the spread of fake news. A study by researchers at Princeton University in March 2020 found that Facebook is by far the worst social media platform for spreading dubious news content, compared to Twitter and Google.

Top Rated Comments

pavvel Avatar
32 months ago
Oh Facebook please! Just do society a favour and go bust.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rp100 Avatar
32 months ago
Yet another feature where Facebook does the thinking for the user.

How should I vote? What should I care about? What should make me outraged? What will make me laugh? What does it mean to be healthy? Who shares the same ideas as me? Are people who disagree with me degenerates? Tell me I matter. Tell me I’m loved. Tell me life isn’t meaningless. Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what I believe is true. Tell me what to think.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TonyC28 Avatar
32 months ago
Nice to see FB making an effort to stop the spread of fake news. What concerns me is Facebook has also engaged in the stopping of real news. But if you’re relying on FB for news you’re doing it wrong anyway.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
32 months ago
I decided to take a break from Facebook & all social media about a month and a half ago.

I don't miss it one bit. It drives my wife crazy for some reason that I'm not on it. It became a cees pool of politics, anger, one upsmanship, and people saying things they would get punched for if they said it to someone's face. And they KNOW it.

Too many people get fired or loose relationships over misunderstandings that result from the social media circus.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
qoop Avatar
32 months ago
I'm not a member of their religious cult.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
definitive Avatar
32 months ago
looks like youtube, twitter, and facebook are getting into the business of telling people how to think and act. all these definitions, fact-checks, and notes.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17

Warning: Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17.0.2 Before Transferring Data From Another iPhone

Friday September 22, 2023 6:36 am PDT by
If you are unboxing an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max today, make sure to update the device to iOS 17.0.2 before transferring data to the device from another iPhone, or else you might encounter issues. iOS 17.0.2 is only available for the iPhone 15 lineup. Apple says the update fixes an issue that may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912

watchOS 10.1 to Enable Apple Watch's New 'Double Tap' Gesture

Thursday September 21, 2023 12:52 pm PDT by
The new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be enabled starting with watchOS 10.1, according to Marques Brownlee, host of the popular tech-focused YouTube channel MKBHD. The first beta of watchOS 10.1 will likely be available by next week, and Apple announced that the software update will be released next month. Brownlee shared his impressions...