Facebook to pull plug on 'Trending' topics

Facebook Inc says it will remove the 'Trending' topics feature that compiles popular news from its social network, as it seeks to ensure users see news from trustworthy and quality sources.

The move, effective next week, comes at a time when the world's largest social network is combating the spread of fake news on its platform, which has in some places become central to the distribution of news.

Trending accounted for less than 1.5 percent of clicks to news publishers on average, Facebook said, adding the company was testing ways to display news including a 'breaking news label' and 'today in', a dedicated section for local news.

The quality of news on Facebook was called into question after alleged Russian operatives, for-profit spammers and others spread false reports on the site, including during the 2016 US election campaign.

Facebook had in the past few years made changes to the Trending topics feature to avoid ideological or political bias.