Facebook Accused Of Indifference To Climate Change Issues And COVID-19 Misinformation

Facebook has been accused of defrauding investors about its efforts to tackle misinformation about climate change and COVID-19. (photo: doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - The social media Facebook belonging to Meta Platform Inc., was again reported to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), by Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit organization representing Facebook reporter Frances Haugen.

The complaint accuses Facebook of defrauding investors about its efforts to tackle misinformation about climate change and COVID-19.

In the report, two complaints were filed. First, alleging misinformation about climate change is available on Facebook. They are claimed to refuse to fight climate change. It also contains internal documents detailing employees' own experiences with climate-related lies on the platform.

An employee reports a search for climate change in the Watch tab and then sees a video promoting "climate misinfo" as a second result. The video has received 6.6 million views.

In addition, the complaint also mentions that Facebook's Climate Science Information Center, which is a credible climate change information center, was launched by the platform in 2020.

The complaint refers to internal records claiming users are not interested in the information center. That means, the hub may not reach its intended destination.

Last year, Meta tried to strengthen the Climate Science Information Center with quizzes, videos, and additional facts. However, a study conducted several months later found climate change resistance has become more widespread on the platform.

The second complaint alleges Facebook's promises to combat COVID-19 misinformation are inconsistent with its actions. The complaint cites internal documents showing a 20 percent increase in misinformation in April 2020, as well as May 2020 records in which employees pointed to the presence of hundreds of anti-quarantine groups.

In July, US President Joe Biden accused Facebook and other social platforms of killing people with misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccine.

"We have directed more than 2 billion people to authoritative public health information and continue to remove false claims about vaccines, conspiracy theories, and misinformation," said Meta Spokesperson Drew Pusateri.

"There is no one-size-fits-all solution to stop the spread of misinformation, but we are committed to building new tools and policies to combat it."