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Facebook’s ‘Trending’ Section Will Be Removed From the Site

The troubled feature is being scrubbed from the platform after four years.

Facebook announced Friday that it will be removing its “Trending Topics” feature from the site, according to The New York Times. The company claims that the feature was “outdated and wasn't popular,” and it wants to build and integrate new news features, like the “breaking news” label. “Trending Topics” was rolled out in 2014, and has sparked controversy ever since. It’s been accused of promoting false information, like a 9/11 hoax, and suppressing conservative outlets. In an interview ahead of the announcement, Alex Hardiman, the head of news products, said the company would move away from letting Facebook making editorial decisions and instead put that responsibility on news organizations. “There are other ways for us to better invest our resources,” Hardiman said.