Facebook to launch fact-checking program in Hungary

As Facebook announces the introduction of its fact-checking program in Hungary, a pro-government commentator fears that the internet giant will use its power to promote what he calls globalist and liberal ideologies.

On Tuesday, Facebook announced that it would launch its Third-Party Fact-Checking Program in Hungary to fight fake news. The project is supervised by the French news agency AFP. Facebook posts that are deemed to contain fake news and misinformation will be positioned on Facebook Feed.

In Magyar Nemzet, Károly Villányi thinks that Facebook wants to advance its owners’ ‘globalist liberal democratic’ ideals. The pro-government columnist claims that members of Facebook’s fact-checking authority’s board have close ties to the Hungarian-born financier George Soros. Villányi finds it particularly problematic that in Hungary, one single person will be in charge of the fact-checking project. Villányi likens Facebook’s efforts to filter content to George Orwell’s dystopian visions.

Tags: Facebook, free speech, hate speech