So-called 'fake-news' stories are being combatted in Germany, after Facebook launched a new tool on its site. After claims that such news stories affected the result of the recent US Election, German users of the social media platform will be able to flag up stories that they believe to be dubious, which will then be fact-checked by a team outside Facebook. In a statement, the company said that it was part of recently announced measures to “tackle the challenge of fake news on Facebook". If judged to be false, the story will be marked with a 'disputed' stamp, and will move down users' news feeds. Earlier this month, the German government revealed that it was concerned about the spread of false news stories due to the country's upcoming election. Heiko Maas, Germany's Justice Minister, also asked Facebook to bear in mind the country's own defamation laws and introduce its own strict rules.Â
