Facebook is to finally launch one of its most requested features - a dislike button.
The social network has previously ruled out adding the feature.
However, Mark Zuckerberg announced today that the firm has changed its mind - and is already working on it.
'I think people have asked about the dislike button for many years.
'Today is a special day because today is the day I can say we're working on it and shipping it,' Zuckerberg said during a Q&A session at the firms Sunnyvale headquarters.
He admitted the firm had held back on launching the button amid fears it would become similar to Reddit, where users can upvote and downvote posts.
'That isn't what we're here to build in the world,' Zuckerberg said.
'We don't want to turn Facebook into a forum where people are voting up or down on people's posts.'
'That doesn't seem like the kind of community that we want to create: You don't want to go through the process of sharing some moment that was important to you in your day and have someone 'downvote' it,
'What they really want is the ability to express empathy. Not every moment is a good moment,' Zuckerberg said.
'If you share something that's sad like a refugee crisis that touches you or a family member passes away, it may not be comfortable to like that post…I do think it's important to give people more options than liking it.'
However, the firm did not say when the feature will be available., but said it will begin testing with a small number of users 'soon'.
'It's surprisingly complicated to make an interaction that will be simple,' Zuckerberg said.
Mark Zuckerberg has previously admitted the site is working on a dislike button - but at the time said it was unlikely to be called dislike.
Speaking at the firm's offices in California, Mr Zuckerberg said: 'We need to figure out the right way to do it so [the button] ends up being a force for good, not a force for bad.'
He continued that people could use a button designed to express negative sentiment in the 'wrong way', that could be deemed cruel or mean.
However, when such a button will be introduced is not known, and the site has been talking about the feature since 2010.
In the meantime, people can send a Dislike sticker in Facebook Messenger posts.
It is available as part of the Likes sticker package, which also includes a heart, a peace sign, a protest fist, a hand holding a bunch of flowers and a glass of Champagne, among others.
According to recent research, the most annoying Facebook posts that would warrant the use of a dislike button are those that brag about dieting and exercising.
This was followed by people who share every meal, and cryptic statuses designed to seek attention by being deliberately vague.
Facebook scams have previously exploited user's demand for a dislike button to install malware and infect accounts.
In particular, the Enable Dislike Button scam claims to offer the opposite to a like button and began appearing on many Facebook users' walls back in 2011.
If and when Facebook launches a dislike button, or similar, it will be included as part of the site and not available through a download or link.
(dailymail.co.uk)
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