Facebook Unveils Community Actions, a News Feed Petition Feature

Facebook is at it again. The social network wants you to take action about the causes you care about, right from your News Feed.

Facebook is launching Community Actions today, a News Feed petition feature which allows users or social workers to request change from their relevant local or government bodies. According to TechCrunch, the Community Action feature starts to roll out in the US.

The Community Actions will have its own discussion feed where people can leave comments, create fundraisers, and organise Facebook Events or Call Your Rep campaigns.

The entire idea behind adding the petition feature is to make the process of supporting a cause, seamless. The one-click Support button will reduce the friction of signing up. Facebook's large user base also makes it sensible for organisations, groups, and individuals to seek support on a wider scale.

In the meanwhile, Facebook on Sunday said it will create an independent Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with an initial grant of $7.5 million (roughly Rs. 53 crores).

In collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany, the institute will help advance the growing field of ethical research on new technology and will explore fundamental issues affecting the use and impact of AI.

"The institute will conduct independent, evidence-based research to provide insight and guidance for society, industry, legislators and decision-makers across the private and public sectors," said Joaquin Quinonero Candela, Director, Applied Machine Learning, at Facebook.

Written with agency inputs