Facebook has removed the ability to edit link previews.
The move, designed to combat the rise of fake news, comes into effect today (July 17).
Up until now, Facebook users could change a link’s headline, image and text.
But in the war against spammers, click baiters and fake news spreaders, the function has been consigned to the annals of social media history.
“By removing the ability to customize link metadata (i.e. headline, description, image) from all link sharing entry points on Facebook, we are eliminating a channel that has been abused to post false news,” Facebook posted online.
It’s hard to argue with the intended purpose.
However, the ability to edit this info when posting on the social media behemoth, has been a vital tool for most publishers.
It allowed those with absolutely no malicious intent to get creative and experiment with different ways of engaging an audience.
That it is no more makes us both angry and sad.
Facebook acknowledge this sentiment. They say they are working on solutions that will allow those with good intentions to be able to customise content on its platform.
The post continues: ”We will provide the tools and resources publishers and apps need to accommodate the coming changes.
“Our goal is to support publisher workflows and app functionality, while limiting malicious misrepresentations of underlying link content. As content customization evolves we continue to work closely with our partners to support the best tools for sharing links on Facebook.”
More information is expected over the coming weeks.