SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Inc will begin removing fake claims and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, stepping up efforts to fight the spread of misinformation about a viral outbreak that’s killed more than 200.
The company has an existing policy of removing content deemed a threat to users’ physical harm and has used that policy in the past to remove vaccine-related misinformation, though in rare cases. Aside from expanding its removal policy, Facebook is doing its usual fact-checking with independent third-party partners, notifying users who may have shared inaccurate prevention tips and disseminating verified advice.
“When people search for information related to the virus on Facebook or tap a related hashtag on Instagram, we will return a dedicated information module with credible information,” Jin wrote. The company may expand its academic partners, according to Jin, though he warned that “not all of these steps are fully in place” and the rollout of all of Facebook’s measures will take time.
Still, information shared in private groups lies outside the reach of Facebook’s fact-checking apparatus, and they have been known to incubate conspiracies on many different topics.