Facebook will remove some coronavirus conspiracy theories

Facebook is cracking down on coronavirus rumors and conspiracy theories.

The company said that its fact checkers will debunk false claims about the coronavirus, and that it will remove some posts pushing conspiracy theories about it.

“We will also start to remove content with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations and local health authorities that could cause harm to people who believe them,” the company wrote in a statement. 

“We are doing this as an extension of our existing policies to remove content that could cause physical harm.”

The company will also be “conducting proactive sweeps to find and remove as much of this content as we can” on Instagram, where it will block hashtags associated with misinformation. Facebook didn’t indicate exactly how much content it would be removing under its new rules, but conspiracy theories about the virus are rampant on social media. 

“We’re focusing on claims that are designed to discourage treatment or taking appropriate precautions,” Facebook says. “This includes claims related to false cures or prevention methods — like drinking bleach cures the coronavirus — or claims that create confusion about health resources that are available.”

It’s a significant move for Facebook, which often declines to remove conspiracy theories, even if they’ve been debunked by the company’s fact checkers. 

Notably, Facebook’s coronavirus policy appears to be much more aggressive than how it has dealt with anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, which also cause physical harm. The company will fact check and demote anti-vaccine content, but the posts are allowed to remain in News Feed and in groups. 

The update comes after Twitter and Google have also announced initiatives to combat conspiracy theories and other inaccurate information about the coronavirus.