- Facebook said that it will start notifying users who have engaged with false information about COVID-19
Facebook said that it will start notifying users who have engaged with false information about COVID-19 — which could potentially cause physical harm. For example, there was false information spreading on Facebook about how drinking bleach helps. Those users will be connected with accurate information.
Facebook removed hundreds of thousands of false posts that could be harmful. Last month alone, Facebook displayed warnings on 40 million posts containing fake information about COVID-19.
“We will also soon begin showing messages in News Feed to people who previously engaged with harmful misinformation related to COVID-19 that we’ve since removed, connecting them with accurate information,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post.
The information will be shown to users who have liked, commented, or reacted to those types of posts. And the messages will start appearing in the coming weeks — which will direct people to myths about the virus that have been clarified by the World Health Organization.
“We’re also launching a new feature called Get The Facts, a section of our Covid-19 Information Center featuring articles written by independent fact-checking partners debunking misinformation about the coronavirus. We will also soon begin showing messages in News Feed to people who previously engaged with harmful misinformation related to Covid-19 that we’ve since removed, connecting them with accurate information,” added Zuckerberg.
In a separate post, Zuckerberg also pointed out that Facebook will be requiring the vast majority of its employees to work from home through at least the end of May to create a safer environment for employees and everyone else in the local community.
