Facebook has announced that it plans to remove from its platform user posts about coronavirus vaccine lies, and not only that they are toxic and dangerous, that they cause autism or that it is safer for people to get stuck. Covid-19 to acquire natural immunity, rather than be vaccinated.
Such claims have been banned from private or corporate ads on Facebook since October, but now the largest social media site, according to his blog, according to Reuters and the New York Times, intends to extend this policy, removing groups, pages and accounts that systematically spread misleading and false information.
Facebook had announced in December that it would crack down on false and unscientific claims about the coronavirus vaccine, which have been dropped by the World Health Organization and other official medical bodies. But so far, various users have continued to spread their misinformation.
Facebook's new stricter policy - which will include Instagram - now targets unpaid posts and specific groups of users, while it concerns all vaccines and not only against the coronavirus. "Building trust in vaccines is crucial, which is why we are launching the largest international campaign to help public health organizations disseminate accurate vaccine information. Covid-19 "Encourage people to get vaccinated when vaccines become available," said Kang-Singh Jin, Facebook's chief health officer.
Facebook has also announced that it will provide $ 120 million in free advertising space to the United Nations Department of Health, NGOs and agencies to provide more accurate information on vaccines. Covid-19.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zackenberg has long been a staunch opponent of coronavirus misinformation and has developed a philanthropic effort to eradicate all diseases. On the other hand, however, he has always been an advocate of free speech on Facebook and has so far seemed reluctant to resolutely fight the circulation of fake posts, with the result that the anti-vaccination campaign flourishes on his platform. It seems that now he has taken things more seriously, although this remains to be seen in practice.
Source: RES-EAP