Facebook is testing a feature in the Facebook News Feed that provides customized links to news on topics of interest to individual users.

The offering, called "Featured Topic," is being tested on News Feed, the core of Facebook. Each selected item includes a couple of sentences of text on a subject, a link to a news story and a photo.

Facebook confirmed that the feature was in testing and said it was designed to help people discover stories that might be relevant to them.

In May 2016, Facebook changed the procedures behind its "Trending Topics" section after a news report alleged that the company had suppressed conservative news and a Republican U.S. senator demanded more transparency.

Facebook in December began rolling out a series of changes to stem hoaxes, clickbait and false news stories like those that spread ahead of last year's U.S. presidential election.

Last month, Google overhauled its mobile search app to include a personalized feed of links.