Meta weighs downgrading Covid-19 misinfo policy to labels and demotion instead of removal

Meta weighs downgrading Covid-19 misinfo policy to labels and demotion instead of removal

2 years ago
Anonymous $33nAR-2OaA

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/meta-weighs-downgrading-covid-19-misinfo-policy-to-labels-and-demotion-instead-of-removal/

Facebook, no stranger to misinformation on its platform, attempted an uncharacteristically bold move as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold around the world: instead of merely labelling posts that discouraged vaccination and/or spread Covid-19 conspiracy theories about masks, social distancing and other themes, it would remove that content altogether — a big step, considering how often engagement (good or bad) trumps just about everything else in its business. In total, it has removed more than 25 million pieces of Covid-19 misinfo content worldwide since the start of the pandemic. But now, it looks like the company is exploring how it might change course once again.

Parent company Meta is exploring whether it should halt its removal policy, instead reverting to labels and algorithmic demotion “either directly or through our third-party fact-checking program” when those kinds of posts come up. In other words: it’s looking at if it might keep up potentially false or harmful information, and just label it instead of removing it.

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