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Facebook said on Monday it plans to remove posts with false vaccine claims from across its platform, including claims that vaccines cause autism or that it is safer for people to contract. Covid-19 than to receive the vaccinations.
The social network has increasingly changed its content policies over the past year as the coronavirus has increased. In October, the social network banned people and businesses from buying advertisements that contained false or misleading information about vaccines. In December, Facebook announced that it would remove posts containing claims that had been debunked by the World Health Organization or government agencies.
Monday’s decision goes further by targeting unpaid posts on the site and in particular Facebook pages and groups. Instead of just targeting misinformation about Covid vaccines, the update encompasses false claims about all vaccines. Facebook said it consulted with the World Health Organization and other leading institutes of health to determine a list of false or misleading claims regarding Covid and vaccines in general.
In the past, Facebook had said it would only “downrank” or push further down people’s feeds, misleading or false statements about vaccines, making it harder to find such groups or posts. . From now on, the posts, pages and groups containing such lies will be completely removed from the platform.
“Building confidence in these vaccines is essential, which is why we are launching the world’s largest campaign to help public health organizations share accurate information about Covid-19 vaccines and encourage people to get vaccinated. as vaccines become available, ”Kang-Xing Jin, head of health at Facebook, said in a company blog post.
The company said the changes followed a recent decision by the Facebook Oversight Board, an independent body that reviews decisions made by the company’s political team and decides whether they were fair. In a decision, the board said Facebook needs to create a new standard for health-related misinformation because its current rules are “too vague.”
Facebook also said it would give $ 120 million in advertising credits to ministries of health, non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies to help disseminate reliable information on the Covid-19 vaccine and preventive health. As vaccination centers roll out more widely, Facebook said it would help direct people to places where they can receive the vaccine.
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, has been proactive against false information related to the coronavirus. He has frequently hosted Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, on Facebook to give live video updates on the US response to Covid. In his private philanthropy, Mr. Zuckerberg also pledged to “eradicate all diseases”, pledging billions of dollars to fight viruses and other diseases.
Yet Mr Zuckerberg has also been a staunch supporter of free speech on Facebook and was previously reluctant to curb most lies, even if they were potentially dangerous. The exception has been Facebook’s policy of not condoning statements that could result in “immediate and direct physical harm” to people on or off the platform.
Facebook has been criticized for this position, especially for allowing President Donald J. Trump to remain on the platform until after the January 6 riot on the United States Capitol.
For years, public health advocates and outside critics have disputed Facebook’s refusal to remove false or misleading vaccine claims and leave anti-vaccination groups untouched. This has led to an increase in misinformation about vaccines, often from individuals or groups spreading other harmful misinformation on the site. Even when Facebook tried to update its policies, it often left loopholes that were exploited by disseminators of disinformation.
Facebook announced Monday that it will also change its search tools to promote relevant and authoritative results on Covid and vaccine-related information, while making it harder to find accounts that discourage people from getting vaccinated.
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