Facebook Shuts Down 'Trending' Section, Wants More Trustworthy Sources

The social media site, Facebook, has decided to jump out of the breaking news sector as of today. The company has had nothing but issues with their 'trending' section since launching in 2014. The initial intention of the section was designed to assist users in easily locating interesting topics. However, Facebook claims that users are now using other platforms to receive their news quicker and easier. 

In a blog post, Alex Hardiman, the company's head of news products, said, "we’re exploring new ways to help people stay informed about timely, breaking news that matters to them, while making sure the news they see on Facebook is from trustworthy and quality sources.” 

The news comes after the storm of the Cambridge Analytica scandal who came under fire for reportedly violating Facebook's privacy policy by refusing to delete personal data from users collected through Facebook users participating in a personality test. The consulting firm was able to gain access to a multitude of information from 87 million users including names and "likes." 

Facebook's trending section also caused the company issues in 2016 when allegations arose of conservative news being suppressed, reports The Washington Post. Since then the trending editorial team was fired and replaced with automation, however that caused to create more issues.