Facebook is launching a new campaign, in partnership with the World Health Organisation, to promote authoritative information about Coronavirus Disease vaccines.
The campaign, ‘Together Against COVID-19 Misinformation’ would work to remove false vaccine claims, reduce distribution of inaccurate health information, and inform people about effective vaccine delivery, the technology conglomerate stated on Monday.
The campaign would be rolled out to people in English and French across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and DRC, and would show up on Facebook through a series of graphics with tips on how to spot false news, the company said.
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Facebook explained that the tips would enable users to check the source, scrutinise content, even if it appears science-based, as well as look to public health authorities to confirm content, among others.
The Public Policy Manager, Facebook, Aïda Ndiaye, said, “Ensuring users are getting authoritative information about COVID-19 vaccines is just some of the vital work we’re doing here at Facebook.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, we’ll continue working with industry experts and people on our platforms to ensure we’re aggressively tackling misinformation, and giving people additional resources to scrutinise content they see online, helping them decide what to read, trust and share.”
As part of the campaign, Facebook said it would also be launching a dedicated website in English and French.
“This will include information on how we’re tackling misinformation on our platforms. It will give people more transparency around our Remove, Reduce and Inform strategy, outline our community standards, and share the steps we’re taking to combat false news around global events such as COVID-19, elections and climate change,” Facebook added.
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