TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Facebook testing a ‘downvote' button to judge people's comments

Sarah Frier (Bloomberg)
Fri, February 9, 2018 Published on Feb. 9, 2018 Published on 2018-02-09T13:30:14+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Facebook headquarters at 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California, United States. Facebook headquarters at 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California, United States. (Shutterstock/File)

Facebook Inc. is testing a button that would let users “downvote” other people’s comments on public posts.

The button, which simply says "Downvote," appears to the right of "Like" and "Reply" options below a comment. The button is intended to notify Facebook about uncivil or misleading comments. The world’s largest social network is testing it in the short-term for a small percentage of U.S. users, and it currently doesn’t affect how prominently a post is featured in a list of comments, a company representative said.

Read also: Facebook and Instagram ‘likes’ are influencing our travel decisions, study shows

A wider implementation of the button would go against Facebook’s prior stance that any kind of downvote or dislike button would spread negativity on the site. In a rethinking of the "Like" button in 2016, for example, the social network added a slate of other reactions, including "Love" and "Sad," meant to be emotions in response to a post, rather than judgments on the post’s ranking.

The test was reported earlier by the Daily Beast. The feature is similar to one in use on the online bulletin board Reddit.

“We are not testing a dislike button,” the company said in a statement. “We are exploring a feature for people to give us feedback about comments on public page posts.”

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.