Facebook safety check helped spread false reports of Thailand explosion

Company claimed one-man protest involving 'giant firecrackers' led to activation, but it also promoted a link to a false report of a major 'explosion'

A Facebook safety check for Bangkok, which the company claimed was prompted by a one-man protest near the prime minister's office, helped spread a fake news report of an explosion in the city.

The incident is the latest example of the social media platform's algorithms failing to distinguish between reliable and faulty news sources.