However, Facebook is in the crosshairs again and an activist
group, Avaaz, has highlighted it. The extent of misinformation that is being
spread around Facebook is completely absurd. The activist group also
highlighted how Facebook has kept on failing to contain false rumors and
potentially keeping people safe during the pandemic. There are a lot of
anti-vaccine groups/communities, conspiracy theories, false cures, and a ton of
more misinformation spread on the platform.
Research highlights 82 websites that were spreading false
information and misleading health stories amidst the pandemic. These stories had
460 million views in April which Facebook responded that they had nothing to do
with this and this does not “reflect on the steps they have taken.”
According to Avaaz, these 82 websites were boosted through
Facebook pages, groups and individual profiles. The websites were amplified to
a huge number of audiences thanks to Facebook. This can be estimated by the
fact that the content on these websites had nearly four times more views on
Facebook than from the websites itself, which means Facebook played a major
role in the spread of misinformation.
With all being said, these institutions violate the laws and
regulation of the World Health Organization, The European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control, and leading health organizations in the United Kingdom,
the United States, France, Italy and Germany.
Infographic by: statista.com
