Tech giant Facebook will be removing fake news about the novel coronavirus outbreak from all its platforms.
Facebook Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin confirmed that the firm would “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.”
RELATED STORY: China: Bodies of nCoV victims should be cremated immediately
“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,” Jin said.
Facebook added that Instagram would also ban or restrict hashtags and conduct “proactive sweeps” to remove content spreading misinformation about the virus.
The tech giant’s move was in response to the World Health Organization, declaring the novel coronavirus a global health emergency.
READ ON: 2019-nCoV declared as global health emergency – WHO
Apart from Facebook, Google and Twitter are also taking steps to combat fake news amid the outbreak.
Google displays information from the World Health Organization about the coronavirus, while YouTube promotes videos from reliable sources.
