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Facebook will remove harmful anti-vaxx propaganda from the social media platform as the world prepares to receive the first coronavirus vaccine.
False allegations about the jab going around the site will be removed and the company will also expand its ban on anti-vaxx ads to include Covid-19.
The major conspiracy theories that are being spread across all forms of social media by uninformed individuals include the totally false claim that the coronavirus vaccine contains microchips that governments will use to spy on citizens.
The company warned in a statement that it “will not be able to start enforcing these policies overnight.”
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False claims about the impending coronavirus vaccine circulating the site will be removed and Facebook will expand its ban on anti-vaxx ads to include those regarding the Covid vaccination. the social media giant announced today
The move expands Facebook’s current rules against lies and conspiracy theories about the pandemic.
It is currently eliminating coronavirus misinformation that poses a risk of “ imminent ” harm, while labeling and reducing the distribution of other false claims that fall below that threshold.
In October, the company announced that it would ban advertisements discouraging people from getting vaccinated, which will now also apply to new Covid-19 vaccines.
A Facebook spokesperson said: ‘We follow our policy to remove misinformation about the virus which could lead to imminent physical damage.
“This could include false claims about the safety, efficacy, 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 list of vaccine ingredients.
“ We will also remove the Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy theories that we now know to be false, as specific populations are used without their consent to test the safety of the vaccine. ”
Following the announcement of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday, there was a wave of misinformation shared online.
This included wacky and debunked claims from Covid deniers and vaccination skeptics.
A report released in November by First Draft found that 84% of interactions generated by vaccine-related conspiracy content came from Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook said it would remove debunked COVID-19 vaccine conspiracies, such as vaccine safety being tested on specific populations without their consent, and vaccine misinformation.
Facebook users who have interacted with false information about the coronavirus will see a message in their news feed urging them to visit the WHO website and share a WHO link.
Facebook to remove harmful anti-vaxx propaganda from social media platform as world prepares to receive first coronavirus vaccine (file)
FullFact, an independent fact-checking charity, is working with Facebook to fight misinformation.
Speaking on Wednesday, Editor-in-Chief Tom Phillips told the PA News Agency: ‘We have seen many internet platforms take tougher action against vaccine misinformation and I think it is the right approach. Could some of them go further? Yes maybe.
“But at the same time, it’s important to remember the importance of free speech. It is not illegitimate to have questions or concerns about the vaccine and it is important that we do not react by just trying to remove these questions. We enable people to ask the questions, get good quality answers and make decisions based on good quality information.
The site said it will continue to regularly update the claims it removes based on current guidance from public health authorities.
Between March and October, Facebook and Instagram deleted 12 million false information related to Covid-19.
In April alone, it put warning labels on around 50 million pieces of content, with 95% of people who saw the label not clicking it to view the content.
Between March and October, he put warning labels on 167 million pieces of content.
The spokesperson added: ‘We have referred more than two billion people worldwide to authoritative information from public health authorities such as the WHO (World Health Organization) and in the UK the NHS , and we will continue to help people stay informed about these vaccines by promoting authoritative sources of information through Facebook’s Covid-19 information center.
In April, Facebook introduced a series of measures designed to stem the spread of disinformation.
The social network introduced messages that appear in the news feed of all users who have interacted with a post that has since been deleted by Facebook because it was deemed harmful.
This includes people who liked, reacted, commented on, or clicked on the content, such as false claims that 5G is linked to the health pandemic.
Facebook said its posts will put people in touch with advice from the World Health Organization’s “ mythbusters ” page, which debunks false COVID-19 claims.
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