Facebook has entered into a partnership with Dubawa, a Nigerian website in a bid to curb the rising cases of fake news on social media.

Fake news was not common a few years ago but it is currently viewed as a threat to democracy. The increased spread of fake news prompted Facebook to introduce a third-party fact-checking programme. The invention is designed to improve the quality of news people come across.

Dubawa, the new partner in the recently launched ‘third-party fact-checking programme’ is an online platform which provides its readers with information based on facts. The information then helps readers reach informed decisions in their day-to-day activities.

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Facebook announced the new partnership with Dubawa on a social media post stating the aim of the program as bettering the quality of news by helping to assess the accuracy of news and reduce the spread of misinformation.

“When third-party fact-checkers write articles about a news story, these show up in Related articles immediately below the story in News Feed. Page Admins and people on Facebook will also receive notifications if they try to share a story or have shared one in the past that’s been determined to be false, empowering people to decide for themselves what to read, trust, and share,” a part of the post read.

According to a report by thecable.ng that was shared by Dubawa on Twitter, local artists would be fact-checked alongside the verification of photos and videos.

Adaora Ikenze, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy for West and Central Africa mentioned that the new partnership highlights their commitment to tackling misinformation and false news across Nigeria adding that an African check has just begun.

“We know that Third-Party Fact-Checking alone is not the solution. It is one of many initiatives and programmes we continue to invest in across the country to help to improve the quality of information people see on Facebook, “she said.

Facebook has grappled for a long time with the global spread of fake news and political misinformation. The goal of the platform founded by Mark Zuckerberg is not to prevent people from posting untrue accounts but rather to stop fake news from spreading across social media.