Facebook revealed new steps it is taking to stop the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic on its platform. (Adweek)
Users who have liked, commented on or otherwise reacted to coronavirus misinformation that Facebook has flagged and removed as “harmful” will be directed to a website debunking coronavirus myths from the World Health Organization. (NBC News)
Facebook is separately launching a “Get the Facts” section full of vetted news about the pandemic. (The Verge)
The moves, which will start over the next three weeks, represent a major step by Facebook—an acknowledgment that its efforts to scrub the platform of falsehoods related to the coronavirus have not been sufficient to stop millions of people sharing, liking and engaging with misinformation. (Politico)
Avaaz, a left-leaning advocacy group that tracks and researches online misinformation, recently 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. (USA Today / AP)