Facebook and other platforms have already
taken steps to curb the wave of dangerous
misinformation that has spread along with
the coronavirus.
Facebook has banned bogus ads promising
coronavirus treatments or cures. No such thing
exists. There is no vaccine, though there is a
global race to develop one.
The tech giant is altering its algorithms and,
through an information page, attempting to put
before users facts about the virus from global
health organizations, as well as state and local
health departments.
That hasn’t stopped the spread of bad information.
Conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus
and the vaccines being developed to prevent it
still pop up daily. Posts or videos that promote
unverified treatments and cures have raked in
thousands of a views.
Facebook users, for example, viewed a false
claim that the virus is destroyed by chlorine
dioxide nearly 200,000 times, estimates a new
study out today from Avaaz, a left-leaning
advocacy group that tracks and researches
online misinformation.
The group found more than 100 pieces of
misinformation about the coronavirus on
Facebook, viewed millions of times even
after the claims had been marked as false or
misleading by fact checkers. Other false claims
were not labeled as misinformation, despite
being declared by fact-checkers as false.
Facebook partners with news organizations
around the world to provide fact checks of
misleading content on its site. The Associated
Press is part of that fact-checking program.