Facebook announced Monday that they would take action against users and groups on Facebook and Instagram that spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine – or vaccines in general.
Facebook said in a blog post, “We will begin enforcing this policy immediately. Groups, pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram that repeatedly share these debunked claims may be removed altogether.” Facebook already has banned advertisements that spread misinformation about vaccines.
In December, the company announced posts that spread misinformation about COVID-19 would be labeled as inaccurate, with links to correct information. The new policy was developed along with the World Health Organization to debunk claims to include those that COVID-19 was man-made in a lab; that vaccines are not effective, toxic, dangerous or cause autism; or that “it’s safer to get the disease than to get the vaccination.” Anti-vaccine activists have used social media to undermine the public’s confidence in the vaccines.
