Facebook to label vaccine posts to combat COVID-19 misinformation

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post Monday that labels will contain credible information' about the vaccines from the World Health Organization

Associated Press

Mar 15, 2021

Facebook is adding informational labels to posts about vaccines as it expands efforts to counter COVID-19-related misinformation flourishing on its platforms.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post Monday that labels will contain “credible information” about the vaccines from the World Health Organization. They will be in English and five other languages, with more languages added in coming weeks.

“For example, we’re adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that notes COVID-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before they’re approved,” Zuckerberg said.

The social network is also adding a tool to help get users vaccinated by connecting them to information about where and when they can get their shot.

Facebook and Instagram have been criticized for allowing anti-vaccination propaganda to spread and for being woefully slow in weeding out the misinformation, often with fact-checks, labels and other restrained measures.

This March 29, 2018 file photo shows the Facebook logo on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite, in New York’s Times Square. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

The social media giant was similarly called out for its hesitation surrounding former President Donald Trump‘s account. After years of resisting calls to ban Trump for hate speech, Facebook finally pulled the plug in January following the Capitol riots.

Zuckerberg posted a statement to Facebook at the time, explaining that the ban would last for at least the rest of Trump’s presidency.

“The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” he wrote.

“His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world. We removed these statements yesterday because we judged that their effect — and likely their intent — would be to provoke further violence,” Zuckerberg continued, a clear response to past criticisms about his lack of urgency.

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