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Monday, March
16, 2020 / 03:00PM / Facebook
As
global numbers continue to rise, and with Coronavirus (Covid-19) reported in a
number of countries across Africa, including in Nigeria, Facebook continues in
its commitment in helping to keep people safe and informed globally, and
locally through local partnerships, and updates to its platform. This includes:
Supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
(NCDC) - Facebook continues to partner with organizations like health agencies and NGOs
who are actively using its platforms to share accurate information about the
situation, including on Pages. To help bolster and extend these efforts, the
company is also providing ad credits to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and
the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to enable them to run
coronavirus education campaigns on Facebook in Nigeria.
Supporting Global Health Organisations in Fundraising - As people come together on Facebook for this critical relief effort,
we're supporting the UNF/WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund Facebook
Fundraiser with $10M in matching donations. We're also working with the CDC
Foundation to launch a Facebook Fundraiser in the coming weeks, and we will
also match up to $10M.
Providing dedicated educational pop-ups in
partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
Medical Supply Hoarding/Coronavirus Ad and Commerce
Policy Changes - Our
ongoing work to limit the spread of misinformation and harmful content about
the virus also applies to advertising. We launched a new policy prohibiting ads
for products that refer to the coronavirus in ways intended to create a panic
or imply that their products guarantee a cure or prevent people from
contracting it, 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. We are also temporarily
banning advertisements and commerce listings that sell medical face masks.
Limiting misinformation and harmful content - Our global network of third-party fact-checkers are continuing their
work in reviewing content and debunking false claims that are spreading related
to the coronavirus. In Nigeria this includes AFP and AfricaCheck, with the
latter supporting local languages including Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.
Removing Harmful Health Misinformation: 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. We are doing this
as an extension of our existing policies to remove content that could cause
physical harm. We're focusing on claims that are designed to discourage
treatment or taking appropriate precautions. 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. We
will also block or restrict hashtags used to spread misinformation on
Instagram, and are conducting proactive sweeps to find and remove as much of
this content as we can
On Instagram - We've moved WHO and
other authoritative sources to top of Search, so people can easily find the
most accurate information. We'll also no longer allow people to search for
COVID-19 related AR effects, unless they are developed in partnership with a
recognized health organization
Facebook Groups - We are focused on connecting people with authoritative sources and reducing the spread of harmful misinformation, including in Groups. Anyone who searches for Coronavirus related groups is directed to credible information from health organizations. We already reduce the distribution of any groups that repeatedly share false news, and we are also starting to remove coronavirus related groups and pages from the recommendations we show people
Creation of the Business Resource Hub - Supporting businesses being affected - directly or
indirectly - by the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the Hub features resources and
recommendations to help small businesses stay connected to customers and keep
their business on track. It also includes quick and easy access to credible and
accurate information about COVID-19 to help small businesses and the communities
they serve, stay informed.
WhatsApp API with the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC): We are working with
NCDC to develop a Coronavirus hotline utilising the WhatsApp Business API. The
service will provide people who have opted in for updates with official health
information about the developing Coronavirus situation.
WhatsApp Fact Checking Pilot - We
continue to run several WhatsApp fact checking pilots across selected countries
including India, Brazil and Nigeria (via AfricaCheck) to improve researchers
ability to gather misinformation that may be circulating on WhatsApp and
respond to users with accurate information
Commenting on these specific efforts in Nigeria, Facebook's Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze said: "We are committed to partnering with governments, technology companies, and civil society to respond to the immense challenges presented at this time, this is an ever evolving situation, where we will continue to support the relevant bodies, both locally and globally. We also encourage all users to check the facts via official public health agencies before sharing messages that have been forwarded to them, and to engage directly with trusted and official sources for important information."
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