Just 111 people on Facebook spreading half of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: Report

Only a small group of internet users, an estimated 111, are spreading major doubts about the efficacy of the novel coronavirus vaccines online, The Washington Post reported, citing an analytical agency that listed the data. The small group has been attributed to the ‘vaccine hesitancy’ campaign on Facebook, and 10 out of the total 638 population segment that was targeted with content that evoked false threat from COVID-19 vaccines was coming from this particular clan, the agency found. This constituted nearly 50 percent of all the content on the platform that was discouraging the civilians from getting inoculated. An investigation conducted by Facebook also found links of these accounts with the far-right group QAnon. 

The vaccine hesitency campaign comes even as Facebook deactivated at least 800 QAnon conspiracy theories accounts and 1,950 public and private QAnon groups since last year that were involved in hurling violent content, and encouraging the use of weaponry. In an official announcement, Facebook said that it was removing such accounts keeping online public safety in mind, and curbing the spread of unverified information online.

Calling the group ‘offline anarchists’, a spokesperson for Facebook said in an online post that the social media firm was “taking action” against the far-right conspiracy theory group that is involved in the spread of falsified information. In a recent statement, Facebook spokesperson Dani Lever said that since last year, Facebook has launched rigorous efforts to remove or ban false and misleading statements about the coronavirus vaccines. The firm partnered with over  60 global health experts to take down content instigating fears about COVID-19 jabs.  

Facebook will 'label' vaccine posts

In the Facebook study published earlier yesterday, experts indicated that there has been a “large-scale attempt” of maligning the authenticity and safety of the vaccines by a bunch of people.  Although, “a huge realm of expression about vaccines sits in a gray area,” the report stated. Some hundred or so people, relatively a scant figure, indulged in spreading “ideas that contribute to vaccine hesitancy, or the act of delaying or refusing a vaccination despite its availability, on social media, a primary source of health information for millions of people," the study alleged. 

Earlier yesterday, in its effort to fight vaccine misinformation, Facebook announced that it will label the posts about the coronavirus vaccine online to filter the credible information. In a blog post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company was introducing informational labels in English and 5 other languages to combat false claims surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines.