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LONDON (AP) – Facebook said on Thursday it would start removing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, in its latest move to counter a wave of online disinformation linked to the coronavirus.
In the coming weeks, the social network will begin to remove all Facebook or Instagram posts containing false vaccine information that has been debunked by public health experts.
The US tech giant is taking action as the first COVID-19 vaccines are about to be deployed. Britain this week became the first country to give emergency clearance for a vaccine developed by US drug maker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, and innoculations could begin within days. Regulators in the United States, the European Union, and Canada also control vaccines.
Facebook said it has a policy to remove misinformation about viruses that could cause “imminent physical damage.”
Messages that violate the policy could include false claims about the safety, effectiveness, ingredients, or side effects of vaccines.
“For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that is not on the official vaccine ingredient list,” the company said in a blog post..
Vaccine conspiracy theories that are already known to be bogus will also be scrapped.
Facebook has taken further steps to try to stop the spread of vaccine and coronavirus-related misinformation on its platform. From March to October, he deleted 12 million messages containing disinformation related to the coronavirus. Deleted messages include one by President Donald Trump with a link to a Fox News video of him telling children are “virtually immune” to the virus.
In October, the company banned advertisements discouraging vaccinations, although it made an exception for advertisements to advocate for government vaccine policies. The company also promoted articles debunking COVID-19 disinformation on a clearinghouse.
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