Facebook Expands COVID-19 Platform to Alert Users Who Interact With False Virus Posts

"We’re going to start showing messages in News Feed to people who have liked, reacted or commented on harmful misinformation about COVID-19 that we have since removed. These messages will connect people to COVID-19 myths debunked by the WHO including ones we’ve removed from our platform for leading to imminent physical harm. We want to connect people who may have interacted with harmful misinformation about the virus with the truth from authoritative sources in case they see or hear these claims again off of Facebook", Rosen said.

Facebook relies on, and is expanding, a network of more than 60 fact-checking organisations that review and rate content in more than 50 languages. Since the beginning of March, the platform added eight new partners and expanded coverage to more than a dozen new countries. For example, Facebook added MyGoPen in Taiwan, AFP and DPA news services in the Netherlands and Reuters in the United Kingdon, the release said.

To help fund the effort, Facebook provided $1 million grants in a partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network to 13 organisations in Italy, Spain, Colombia, India, the Republic of Congo and other nations, and plans to announce additional grantees in the coming weeks, the release added.

Examples of misinformation Facebook has previously removed include harmful claims such as drinking bleach cures for the virus and claims that social distancing is ineffective in preventing the disease from spreading, according to the release.