Facebook has launched a Coronavirus Community Hub, as part of the company’s efforts to fight misinformation. Community Hub will be used by the company to provide tips and tools to help users keep safe and stay informed.
“Difficult times unfortunately make it easier for scammers or others to cause harm on our platforms. We work hard to stop malicious activity before it reaches you, but we also want to provide you with tips and tools to keep yourself safe during this pandemic,” the company said.
The company has recorded massive usage increase across its messaging apps, as more people switch to work from home. Recently the company has seen a 70% increase in the number of people are participating in group video calls while the time spent on group video calls on Messenger has doubled.
Facebook has put in place measures across its apps that will help fight the misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic.
On WhatsApp, the company has launched an information hub in partnership with the WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP to provide tips and resources related to the outbreak.
The company also donated $1 million to the International Fact-Checking Network to help expand the fact-checking organizations on WhatsApp.
For Facebook and Instagram, the company has also implemented various measures. For instance, on Facebook, the company has prioritized showing information from the WHO, the CDC, and regional health authorities on top of the News Feed and in searches relating to covid-19. They have also launched a COVID-19 Information Center, also featured on top of the News Feed in several countries.
Besides, Facebook has also offered the WHO free ad credits and “millions in ad credits” to other health authorities.
