Facebook Promises Change in New Video Ad

Facebook has acknowledged some of the problems on its platform in a new video advertisement.

The one minute clip will be shown on TV and in cinemas until July, and is also reported to be scheduled for during NBA games.

The advert starts by showing Facebook’s old interface, emphasising how it used to be for connecting people.

It says “something happened” since then – the site moved towards displaying fake news and clickbait.

It pledges that the platform will go back to its roots, as well as doing more to protect privacy and personal data.

The Verge criticises the clip, saying Facebook’s claim that it “had to deal with” problems like spam absolves it of any blame.

Facebook’s own algorithms, their article suggests, are responsible for decreasing the quality of experience.

The YouTube version of the minute-long video has more dislikes than likes, and has the comments disabled.

The social media giant is also running a number of ads in city locations, reading “fake news is not your friend” and “spam is not your friend”.