Facebook steps up efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation
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As a global pandemic takes hold, more people are turning to Facebook in search of news about the coronavirus.
But the traffic load on the social media platform is also testing its ability to crack down on a spike in virus-related misinformation. Users are being confronted with phony cures and conspiracy theories around the virus’ origin.
Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs and communications, says he can’t quantify the volume of misinformation around the virus, but that the company will remove coronavirus-related information that has the potential to cause physical harm.
“We do not allow misinformation to circulate on Facebook which can lead to real-world harm,” Clegg said in an interview with All Things Considered on Wednesday. “So if people say drinking bleach is going to help you vaccinate yourself against coronavirus — that is dangerous. We will not allow that to happen. We won’t even allow folk to say social distancing makes no difference in dealing with this pandemic.”
On Wednesday the company outlined the efforts it’s taking to prevent the spread of inaccurate content during the public health crisis.
Through pop-ups and a new COVID-19 information center on Facebook, the company says it’s directed more than 1 billion people on Facebook and Instagram to resources from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and regional health authorities, and that over 100 million users have clicked on the content.
The company’s moves to curb pandemic-related misinformation on the site are aggressive in comparison to its hands-off approach in the moderation of political messaging.
Last week, according to a Facebook internal report obtained by The New York Times, more than half of the stories being read on the platform in the U.S. were coronavirus-related. The company also recently reported a 50% increase in “total messaging” over the last month in several of the countries most impacted by the virus.
