As part of the ongoing efforts taken by Facebook to be more transparent with users, the algorithm which decides what appears on the news feed will be revealed.
The tech giant is launching a new feature, which will enable users to see what specific factors went into certain posts appearing on their news feeds.
The introduction of the new tool “Why am I seeing this post” will mark a new point for Facebook, as the social network has carefully guarded the functioning of its algorithms.
Facebook has faced massive scrutiny after a sequence of data breaches, privacy issues, and allegations of interfering in the elections.
Last week, Mark Zuckerberg, called for standardized regulation and government involvement in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.
The release of the new tool will help Facebook regain users’ trust, as it plans to release an integrated chat tool for WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, as announced by Zuckerberg in January.
A blog posted by Facebook revealed that the new button would be found in the drop-down menu that appears at the top right of every post on Facebook.
The feature will offer users insight into the tens and thousands of inputs used by Facebook to rank stories, photos and videos on the news feed, the foundation of the platform.
Facebook’s Head of News Feed John Hegeman told reporters on Monday,“The basic thing that this tool does is let people see why they see a particular post in their news feed, and it helps them access the actions they might want to take if they want to change that.”
Facebook developed the feature with research groups in New York, Denver, Paris, and Berlin.
Facebook is also updating its “Why am I seeing this ad?” feature, which was released a few years ago. The new update will enable users to receive additional information about how their Facebook profile matched the advertiser’s database.
It was already revealed that information, such as your location, was being used to target ads.
“Both of these updates are part of our ongoing investment in giving people more context and control across Facebook,” the company said in a blog.
The company recently changed its strategy for its centerpiece news feed in early 2018, by upgrading posts from friends and family over non-advertising content from brands and publishers using Facebook post templates.