City
Epaper

Facebook to weed out posts spreading misinformation about coronavirus

By ANI | Updated: February 1, 2020 19:00 IST

Facebook has started its drive to weed out misleading posts spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation about the coronavirus.

Open in App

Facebook has started its drive to weed out misleading posts spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation about the coronavirus.

According to the New York Post, the company is aggressively trying to remove posts that claim to offer the cure for this disease, for instance, drinking bleach, as few posts suggested.

Facebook's head of health, Kang-Xing Jin wrote in a Facebook blog: "We will also block or restrict hashtags used to spread misinformation on Instagram, and are conducting proactive sweeps to find and remove as much of this content as we can."

Bogus posts flagged by health officials would be taken down by Facebook, especially the claims that suggest people to not seek professional medical help.

In this instance, Facebook has made a bold move of curtailing misinformation as it was earlier bashed for allowing the propagation of false advertisements by certain political campaigns.

The third-party fact-checkers would determine the posts that are misleading, following which, Facebook would send notifications to warn the defaulters.

New York Post cited The Daily Beast, according to which, QAnon, a group of conspiracy theorists went around on the internet telling people to chug down "Miracle Mineral Solution" to protect themselves from coronavirus. The solution turned out to be a "dangerous bleach" that could potentially kill anyone who consumes it.

( With inputs from ANI )

Open in App

Related Stories

MaharashtraJalna Shocker: Man Arrested for Allegedly Raping and Threatening Minor Girl

InternationalChina’s Yarlung Zangbo dam project reflects use of water as geopolitical leverage: Report

TechnologyIAMAI seeks amendment to use publicly available personal data for AI training

BusinessIAMAI seeks amendment to use publicly available personal data for AI training

NationalIAMAI seeks amendment to use publicly available personal data for AI training

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

TechnologyUS tariff hike to impact only 4.8 per cent of India’s total exports

TechnologyNew stations, policy reforms, FDI boost gas-based economy in India: Minister

TechnologyIndia's supply chain and logistics sector gears up for global leadership

TechnologyInstagram rolls out new 'Repost', 'Interactive Map', and 'Friend Tab' features

TechnologyMyntra sees 20 pc growth in handloom demand, boosts role as platform for India’s artisan, textile heritage