Down the rabbit hole - Is Facebook’s algorithm feeding Covid conspiracies?

THERE are fears that Facebook’s algorithm could be “radicalising” Irish social media users, and directing them down rabbit holes which promote conspiracy theories about Covid-19.

It comes as social networks scramble to remove links to a questionable “documentary” from a discredited scientist, who incorrectly claims that wearing masks “activates” the virus.

An investigation by the Irish Independent and First Draft, an international network of journalists analysing misinformation during the global pandemic, found Irish conspiracy theory Facebook pages have been sharing and discussing the ‘Plandemic’ documentary.

Both YouTube and Facebook have started trying to take down the video, but conspiracy theorists have been sharing links to it on other sites.

An analysis of the Irish social media pages sharing links to the documentary has found that Facebook is automatically directing users of the pages towards even more conspiracy theories.

If a user finds and “likes” a page which makes incorrect claims about Covid-19, Facebook will immediately suggest a list of other pages for far-right bloggers or other conspiracy theories.

The theories include incorrect claims that Covid-19 is being spread by 5G, that wifi in schools is damaging children or that the pandemic is fake and that the Irish Government lockdown should be defied.

The suggested pages are collected by Facebook’s algorithm, which uses artificial intelligence to direct users to content which might be similar to their interests.

Last year, YouTube faced major criticism of its algorithm after a number of investigations found it was automatically recommending videos which were more extreme.

James Lawless, Fianna Fáil’s spokesman on technology, said that Facebook should examine what way its algorithm works when it’s directing people from pages which clearly reference conspiracy theories in their titles.

“People talk about free speech and democracy and of course, that’s something that we all champion,” said Mr Lawless.

“But the idea of free speech is the idea of the public square, where people can have opposite points of view and articulate those views and have a