The Facebook platform has just launched its Third-Party Fact-Checking program in DR Congo. The official ceremony was held on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 in the conference room of Congo River by Blazon in Kinshasa.

This program, conducted in partnership with Agence France Presse (AFP), Les Observateurs de France 24 and Pesa Check, is part of the platform’s efforts to help assess the accuracy and quality of information on Facebook and reduce the spread of false news.

According to the organizers, the launch of this tool is part of the extension of the fact-finding programme by third parties to ten new countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including DR Congo.

Once a verification media has written an article giving more information about a news item, Facebook will post it in the related articles on the news feed under the publication in question.

Page administrators will also be notified if they share news that is believed to be false, and those who have shared or are about to share this information will also be notified, so that they can make an informed decision for themselves about what they read, share and rely on.

By expanding its fact-finding programme by third parties to 15 African countries in just over a year, coupled with the recent development of the same programme in local African languages, testifies to facebook’s commitment to the African continent.

Some believe that « acting to help fight false news on Facebook is a responsibility that the platform takes seriously ».

Aware of the issue of misinformation, Facebook believes that third party fact-finding is not the only solution, but rather one of many initiatives in which the platform is investing to help improve the quality of the information visitors see on Facebook.

This Facebook fact-checking program is now available in DR Congo with the collaboration of the network of Fact-checking organizations certified by the IFCN (International Fact-Checking Network).

Olivier KAMO