• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, April 17, 2018

As part of its broader battle against fake news, Facebook just debuted a third-party fact-checking program in India. The tech titan is partnering with an independent digital journalism initiative named Boom.

Starting today, Boom will be able to review English-language news stories flagged on Facebook, check their facts, and rate their accuracy.

Debuting initially in the Indian state of Karnataka, the pilot program also has the support of the International Fact-Checking Network, a nonpartisan international fact checking network at Poynter.

As for how the system actually works, Facebook shows stories lower in users’ News Feeds after fact-checkers rate them as “false.”

Once a story has been market as “false,” Facebook can reduce its distribution by 80%, the company claims. Pages and domains that repeatedly share false news will also see their distribution reduced and their ability to monetize and advertise removed.

If third-party fact-checkers write articles debunking a false news story, Facebook also promises to show it in Related Articles immediately below the story in News Feed.

The company also says it will send people and Page administrators notifications if they try to share a story -- or have shared one in the past -- that has been determined to be false.

While third-party fact-checking is part of its ongoing efforts to combat spread of false news, Facebook says it is looking for additional ways to improve the accuracy of information in its platform.