Facebook revealed yesterday that it has removed more than a billion fake accounts to tackle misinformation, particularly covid-19.
On Monday, a post on the Facebook Newsroom reported that about 1,3 billionmillions fake Facebook accounts. The company employs over 35.000 people working to counter disinformation on its platform.
Facebook says that since the beginning of the pandemic, it has used AI systems that detect messages and hateful comments and has deleted posts that contain misinformation.
As a result, more than 12 million have been removed publications on COVID-19 and vaccines.
Ο Guy Rosen, εκπρόσωπος του Facebook, γράφει ότι "η παραπληροφόρηση μπορεί επίσης να δημοσιεύεται από άτομα, ακόμη και με καλή πίστη." Δεν δημοσιεύουν όλοι παραπληροφόρηση με κακόβουλη πρόθεση. Μπορεί να θέλουν να βοηθήσουν τους ανθρώπους, αλλά δεν γνωρίζουν ότι οι information that they share are in fact untrue.
To meet this challenge, Rosen writes that Facebook has created a global network of more than 80 independent information controllers who control content in more than 60 languages.
"Όταν αξιολογούν κάτι ως ψευδές, μειώνουμε τη διανομή του, ώστε να το βλέπουν λιγότεροι άνθρωποι και προσθέτουμε μια προειδοποιητική ετικέτα με περισσότερες πληροφορίες για όποιον το βλέπει. (...) Για τα πιο σοβαρά είδη παραπληροφόρησης, όπως ψευδείς ισχυρισμοί σχετικά με το COVID-19 και εμβόλια και περιεχόμενο που αποσκοπεί στην καταστολή της ψηφοφορίας, καταργούμε το περιεχόμενο.
In addition to removing misleading or false information, Facebook has also created some special websites for users to find reliable information from trusted experts. Examples include pages for COVID-19, climate and vote in the US in 2020."
The first time Facebook took action against misinformation was in August 2020, when it removed 7 million posts with COVID-19 misinformation. This led to the termination of some Russian misinformation networks, as well as the demotion of positions containing false allegations about the 2020 US elections.
But Facebook isn't the only social media platform facing the rise of fake news. Recently, Twitter began banning users who consistently post misinformation about COVID-19. Even TikTok removed over 300.000 video with misinformation about the US elections.
Although the boundaries between misinformation and usage control are often blurred, Facebook and every platform has every right to use the terms you have accepted when you sign up. It is just a private company with social effects. Any protest for lack of freedom is rather utopian since anyone who uses the social media platform has agreed to these conditions. Otherwise he can set up a site and write whatever he wants.
From the reader's point of view, make sure that the information you receive daily comes from a reliable source or that you consider it a reliable source. Even better, we suggest you check the new stories you read before commenting on them.
