Opinion | Fight fake news on Facebook

According to a new survey of internet users globally, social media companies have emerged as the top source of user distrust on the internet. Seventy-five per cent of those surveyed cited Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms for their lack of trust. Facebook was the most commonly cited source of fake news.

Seventy-seven per cent of the users on the social media platform said they came across fake news on the website, followed by 62% in case of Twitter and 74% for other social media users. Nine per cent of users on Facebook said they closed their accounts in the past year as a result of fake news.

The survey says that in India, 14% closed their accounts in the past year on account of fake news. The findings were made public as part of the 2019 CIGI-Ipsos Global Survey on Internet Security and Trust.