Facebook is taking on false claims about the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine. The platform will now remove any content containing misinformation about the treatment.
Facebook Pushes Back Against Vaccine Misinformation
Now that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be released around the world, Facebook is trying to squash any misinformation that crops up. An About Facebook blog post revealed that Facebook is expanding its COVID-19 misinformation policies.
Facebook said that it will “start removing false claims about these vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram.”
Not only will it remove content that promotes false claims about the safety, efficacy, and side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine, but it also won’t tolerate misinformation about its ingredients.
In addition, Facebook plans on removing content that contains conspiracy theories about the vaccine. This includes theories that claim the vaccine contains a microchip, or that it has been tested on certain populations without consent.
The platform believes that this type of misinformation could “lead to imminent physical harm,” as it may discourage people from getting the vaccine.
You shouldn’t expect to see these changes happen instantaneously, as the facts about the vaccine will continue to evolve over time. While the removals may start slow, Facebook also says that its removal policy could change “based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more.”
Was Facebook Too Late to Act?
Some think that the ban on misinformation surrounding the vaccine has come far too late. Although the platform banned anti-vaccine ads in October 2020, it never rolled out any measures specifically for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Throughout 2020, Facebook has implemented a number of policies to curb general misinformation about the pandemic. It began labeling and removing posts containing COVID-19 misinformation, and also stopped showing health groups in recommendation lists.
However, the COVID-19 vaccine is an entirely different beast to handle, and theories have been spreading long before the vaccine even neared release. The fact of the matter is, these potentially false claims have been floating around the web for a while now, and Facebook’s response wasn’t quick enough.
Twitter Will Likely Follow Suit
Facebook and Twitter have been on a misinformation manhunt as of late, mostly due to the spread of false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 US presidential election. Twitter and Facebook have taken very similar steps to curb misinformation, as both platforms have started removing and labeling misleading posts.
Now that Facebook has announced that it will specifically address false claims about the COVID-19 vaccine, we can only expect Twitter to do the same.
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