Facebook is attempting to crack down on fake news by removing the ability for Page admins to edit the link preview of content they share on the social network.
Before the update, if you have managed a Facebook Page, you could edit the link preview to change the title, description and featured image, allowing you to customise the link preview for your Facebook audience or to increase conversion rates.
However, the social media giant has confirmed that from Monday (July 17), such edits will no longer be possible, and links will use the metadata delivered from the website.
Speaking of the news, Facebook said: “By removing the ability to customize link metadata (i.e. headline, description, image) from all link sharing entry points on Facebook, we are eliminating a channel that has been abused to post false news.
“We also understand that many publishers have workflows that rely on overwriting link preview metadata to customize how their content appears to audiences on Facebook. We’re committed to a solution that supports them.”
Currently, spammers and trolls can edit any link to appear like something else – for example, they can add a link to a phishing website nad disguise it as a breaking news story. Facebook’s update will avoid stories from trending and appearing on news feeds.
What are your thoughts on the new update from Facebook? Will this affect your social media marketing? Let us know on Twitter using @AppleMagazine.
