As anticipation for the coronavirus grows, more policies are being implemented. USA Today reports that Facebook will increase its fight against misinformation regarding COVID-19 on its social media platforms. There is no official COVID-19 vaccine, however drug-makers are filing forms with the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use and plans for distribution are already being formulated. A COVID-19 vaccination may be available as early as this month. Very early in the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook began posting news about the coronavirus pandemic at the top of its newsfeed. Now Facebook, who also owns Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, will regulate misinformation on across all of its social media platforms.
Misinformation is a major problem and is counterproductive to information provided by health officials. Social media is a major avenue for people to communicate information. Facebook has 2.7 billion active users as of the second quarter of 2020. Instagram has one billion active users, WhatsApp has two billion active users, and Facebook Messenger has 1.3 billion active users. “This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm,” Facebook said in a blog post Thursday. Facebook will slowly begin monitoring misinformation, with plans to intervene as needed.
The social media giant also created a coronavirus informational site and provide users pertinent information nationally and in their local area. Facebook is also making it easier for people to request or offer help during the pandemic for their communities, donated $25 million to support healthcare workers on the front line, and $2 million to support mental health crisis.
Discussion/Questions:
- Explain the impact of misinformation on the general public and the importance of distributing factual information.
- Should Facebook regulate misinformation? Is Facebook impeding upon freedom of speech? Why or why not?
Sources: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/12/03/facebook-instagram-combat-covid-19-vaccine-misinformation/3807389001/. Supporting URL: https://about.fb.com/news/2020/12/coronavirus/ . Picture by Glen Carrie on Unsplash.