Whistleblower Aid, the nonprofit that represents Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, has accused the company, now known as Meta of misleading investors about its efforts to tackle misinformation about climate change and COVID-19.
Recall that in July 2021, President Joe Biden accused Facebook and other social platforms of “killing people” with misinformation about COVID-19 and its vaccines.
The first complaint, which was reported by the Washington Post, alleged the presence of readily available climate change misinformation on Facebook, making Facebook’s claims that it’s fighting climate denial fall flat.
Additionally, It contained internal documents detailing employees’ own experiences with climate-related falsehoods on the platform, with one employee who searched for “climate change” in the Watch tab reported to have seen a video that promotes “climate misinfo” as the second result.
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The video is said to have garnered 6.6 million views.
The complaint further mentioned Facebook’s Climate Science Information Center, a hub for credible climate change information the platform which was launched in 2020.
The complaint, according to the Post Report, referenced internal records that claim user awareness of the hub was “very low,” suggesting it may not have had its intended reach.
In 2021, Meta was reported to have attempted to bolster its Climate Science Information Center with additional quizzes, videos, and facts. A study that was conducted months later found that climate change denial has become even more widespread on the platform.
The second complaint alleged Facebook’s promise to combat COVID-19 misinformation didn’t align with its actions. It cited an internal document showing a 20 per cent increase in misinformation in April 2020, as well as a May 2020 record in which employees point out the presence of hundreds of anti-quarantine groups.
In his reaction to the complaints, Meta spokesperson Drew Pusateri said, “We’ve directed more than 2 billion people to authoritative public health information and continue to remove false claims about vaccines, conspiracy theories, and misinformation”.
Story was adapted from The Washington Post.
