FB ramps up effort to curb vaccine hoaxes
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Monday said it is ramping up efforts to stem the spread of misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, spread facts, and figure out who might be wary of getting the jab.
The move includes banning groups which repeatedly spread misinformation and debunked claims about the virus and vaccines in general.
The leading social network has been highlighting health advice from reliable agencies and removing Covid-19 misinformation for months and on Monday expanded that initiative.
A list of debunked claims about the virus or vaccines that are not welcomed at Facebook was updated with the help of the World Health Organization.
The list of barred misinformation included claims Covid-19 was created by people or that it is safer to get the virus than the vaccine.
It also included false claims that vaccines are toxic or cause autism.
Critics of the social media giant’s handling of misinformation were not convinced by its latest move.
“Facebook has been promising to crack down on Covid and antivaxx misinformation for the past year,” the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate said in a message fired off on Twitter.
“Every time, it fails to meet these headline announcements with action.”
Groups or accounts that share vaccine misinformation may be removed completely from the social network, warned Facebook vice president of integrity Guy Rosen.
Facebook prominently hosts a Covid-19 information center, and makes a priority of featuring reliable sources in results for queries on the topic.