Facebook on Thursday said it will be removing user content about COVID-19 vaccines that the company disagrees with, including information about possible side effects.
The social networking company says that information not supported by public health experts will be removed if discredited by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Facebook has an increasingly aggressive method of removing or arguing with posts involving elections, when Facebook disagrees with the opinion or analysis. During the recent presidential election, the company has continued to post contrary information at the bottom of nearly every post by President Donald Trump, even ones as simple as wishing people a Happy Thanksgiving or to promote the White House Christmas decorations.
Now, Facebook is serving as the clearinghouse for information on vaccines for COVID-19:
“Given the recent news that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be rolling out around the world, over the coming weeks we will start removing false claims about these vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram.
“This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm. This could include false claims about the safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects of the vaccines. For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn’t on the official vaccine ingredient list.
“We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false: like specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccine’s safety.
“We will not be able to start enforcing these policies overnight. Since it’s early and facts about COVID-19 vaccines will continue to evolve, we will regularly update the claims we remove based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more.
“We will also continue to help people stay informed about these vaccines by promoting authoritative sources of information through our COVID-19 Information Center.”
