Business Highlights

Roundup of top economy stories

LONDON — Facebook says it will start removing false claims about COVID-19 vaccines, in its latest move to counter a tide of coronavirus-related online misinformation. The social network said Thursday that it will take down any Facebook or Instagram posts with false information about the vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts. The U.S. tech giant is taking action as the first COVID vaccines are set to be rolled out. Facebook said it’s applying a policy to remove virus misinformation that could lead to “imminent physical harm.” Posts that fall afoul of the policy could include phony claims about vaccine safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects.

CHICAGO — Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jet is getting a vote of confidence from one of Europe’s biggest budget airlines. Ireland’s Ryanair announced Thursday that it will order 75 more Max jets, bringing its total orders to 210. The move comes as the plane is expected to resume carrying paying passengers. Last month, regulators in the U.S. and Europe set conditions under which airlines can make changes to the plane and resume passenger flights. The plane was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes that killed 346 people.

BOSTON — IBM security researchers say they have detected a cyberespionage effort that used targeted phishing emails to try to collect vital information associated with a U.N. initiative for distributing coronavirus vaccine to developing countries. IBM says it can’t be sure who is behind the campaign. But it says that the precise and careful targeting — of companies in countries including Germany, Italy, South Korea and Taiwan — suggest a nation-state is behind the campaign. Targets that included solar panel and petrochemical companies got phishing emails from someone posing as an executive with a key Chinese supplier.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is accusing Facebook in a lawsuit of discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of foreigners with special visas to fill more than 2,600 high-paying jobs. The Justice Department announced the suit Thursday, alleging that the tech giant refused to recruit, consider or hire qualified and available U.S. workers for the positions that it reserved for temporary visa holders. Facebook sponsored the visa holders for “green cards” authorizing them to work permanently. The positions at issue offered an average salary of around $156,000.