Facebook has announced plans of a crackdown on misinformation around vaccinations on Thursday. The social network will no longer allow it to be promoted via ads and recommendations along with making it less prominent in the search results.
In a blog post, Monika Bickert, vice-president of global policy management said that they would take measures to reduce the misinformation and false information about vaccinations in its search results and news feed.
The social network faced criticism from journalists and lawmakers in recent weeks as the vaccine misinformation flourished in the news feed. The measures also included searching and removing ads that spread misinformation and accounts that violate the policies might also be disabled.
How This Will Work
Leading global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have publicly identified verifiable vaccine hoaxes. Adequate action will be taken in case the hoaxes appear on Facebook.
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There will also be ways to provide people with additional context so they can decide whether to read, share, or engage in conversations about the information they see on Facebook.
“We are fully committed to the safety of our community and will continue to expand on this work,” said Monika Bickert in her blog post.