As scams, misinformation and hoaxes surrounding Covid-19 circulate, how is Facebook working to combat fake news and hype.
Digital Marketing platforms have caved under increasing and necessary scrutiny to control fake news posted onto their platforms. The coronavirus pandemic looks to be the straw that has broke the camels back – the type of action critics have long called for.
On March 16, Facebook, YouTube, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter issued a statement saying they had joined forces to expose and pull down “fraud and misinformation about the virus”.
All the major global players in the social media sphere are partaking in a WHO ‘hackathon’ where-in developers are put to the challenge of coding software solutions to combat the pandemics misinformation.
So what are the big boys actually doing? This article will hope to share a some light on the various action being taken by Facebook, Google and co.
Facebook and its subsidiaries have come under scrutiny for their negligence to block political campaigns, however it is evident, they are taking a no nonsense approach when it comes to the coronavirus.
The prevailing thought remains, no matter the company or platform, Facebook et al. are to provide a quality service as possible whilst always attempting to prevent fake news. Facebook has recently set up a ‘Coronavirus Information Centre’, an establishment they expect will aid the public in their search for legitimate information.
Ads which have a call to action to generate income from the outbreak by flogging ‘miracle remedies’ or medical face masks at inflated price points are banned. When a user searches for topics around ‘coronavirus’, Facebook will display a banner prompting the user visit the WHO or NHS websites.
Secondly, as part of Facebooks fact-checking initiative, the platform has introduced labels which will accompany coronavirus information. Zuckerberg said that the platform was also removing hoaxes, fake news and theories regarding Covid-19.
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