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Meta is asking the Oversight Board for recommendation on whether or not measures to deal with harmful COVID-19 misinformation, launched in extraordinary circumstances on the onset of the pandemic, ought to stay in place as many, although not all, international locations around the globe search to return to extra regular life.
Misinformation associated to COVID-19 has introduced distinctive dangers to public well being and security during the last two years and extra. To maintain our customers secure whereas nonetheless permitting them to debate and categorical themselves on this essential matter, we broadened our dangerous misinformation coverage within the early days of the outbreak in January 2020. Earlier than this, Meta solely eliminated misinformation when native companions with related experience informed us a specific piece of content material (like a particular publish on Fb) might contribute to a threat of imminent bodily hurt. The change meant that, for the primary time, the coverage would supply for removing of complete classes of false claims on a worldwide scale.
Consequently, Meta has eliminated COVID-19 misinformation on an unprecedented scale. Globally, greater than 25 million items of content material have been eliminated for the reason that begin of the pandemic. Beneath this coverage, Meta started eradicating false claims about masking, social distancing and the transmissibility of the virus. In late 2020, when the primary vaccine grew to become obtainable, we additionally started eradicating additional false claims, such because the vaccine being dangerous or ineffective. Meta’s coverage at the moment gives for removing of 80 distinct false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines.
Meta stays dedicated to combating COVID-19 misinformation and offering folks with dependable info. Because the pandemic has advanced, the time is true for us to hunt enter from the Oversight Board about our measures to deal with COVID-19 misinformation, together with whether or not these launched within the early days of a unprecedented world disaster stays the appropriate method for the months and years forward. The world has modified significantly since 2020. We now have Meta’s COVID-19 Data Heart, and steering from public well being authorities is extra available. Meta’s COVID-19 Data Heart has linked over two billion folks throughout 189 international locations to useful, authoritative COVID-19 info.
The pandemic itself has additionally advanced. In lots of international locations, the place vaccination charges are comparatively excessive, life is more and more returning to regular. However this isn’t the case in all places and the course of the pandemic will proceed to differ considerably across the globe — particularly in international locations with low vaccination charges and fewer developed healthcare methods. It’s important that any coverage Meta implements be applicable for the total vary of circumstances international locations discover themselves in.
Meta is basically dedicated to free expression and we imagine our apps are an essential means for folks to make their voices heard. However some misinformation can result in an imminent threat of bodily hurt, and we now have a accountability to not let this content material proliferate. The insurance policies in our Group Requirements search to guard free expression whereas stopping this harmful content material. However resolving the inherent tensions between free expression and security isn’t simple, particularly when confronted with unprecedented and fast-moving challenges, as we now have been within the pandemic. That’s why we’re in search of the recommendation of the Oversight Board on this case. Its steering can even assist us reply to future public well being emergencies.
The Oversight Board was established to train impartial judgment, working as an expert-led test and stability for Meta, with the power to make binding selections on particular content material instances and to supply non-binding advisory opinions on its insurance policies. We’re requesting an advisory opinion from the Oversight Board on whether or not Meta’s present measures to deal with COVID-19 misinformation underneath our dangerous well being misinformation coverage proceed to be applicable, or whether or not we should always deal with this misinformation via different means, like labeling or demoting it both instantly or via our third-party fact-checking program.
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