Facebook Removes Viral And Misleading Content Related To COVID-19

Ilustrasi Facebook (Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Until now, viral videos and content related to COVID-19 have been widely spread on social media platforms. Not infrequently, influencers to politicians are trapped by viral content containing misinformation, both alternative medicine, vaccines to conspiracy theories.

Even social media like Facebook, it took quite a while to delete the misinformation videos that went viral on the platform. Summarized from The Verge, Facebook is taking this action to stop misinformation content circulating on its platform.

“We have removed the viral video for making false claims about cure and prevention for COVID-19. People who react to, comment on, or share this video, will see a message directing them to authoritative information about the virus, "said a Facebook spokesperson, Wednesday, July 29.

At least, Facebook has removed 7 million misleading content and posts related to the corona virus circulating on its platform, since April and June. However, viral content related to COVID-19 is still circulating and made with the aim of misleading information.

"We need several hours to apply to the video and we are doing a review to understand why this is taking longer than it should be," he added.

Asked Facebook about the bad viral hydroxychloroquine video and why it got 20M + views before being removed. Company says removal "took longer than it should have" and will undertake a review pic.twitter.com/X8F5lO5voA

- Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) July 28, 2020

Even recently, Facebook took removal measures, reportedly showing videos showing non-experts refusing to wear masks while touting ways to cure the virus that have not been verified. The video has been shared widely tens of millions of times, including by US president Donald Trump and his son on Twitter.

Not only Facebook, other social media networks such as Twitter and YouTube often limit and delete viral content related to COVID-19. Because many videos try to convey misleading information.