Facebook not to remove posts claiming COVID-19 is man-made
The move comes as President Joe Biden ordered US intelligence officials to 'redouble' their efforts to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
FollowFacebook says it will no longer remove claims that Covid-19 is man-made or manufactured from its apps “in light of ongoing investigations into the origin of Covid-19 and in consultation with public health experts."
Facebook has long battled a tide of coronavirus-related misinformation by removing posts or putting warning labels on them. It said in December it would remove vaccine-related misinformation, for example.
The move comes as President Joe Biden ordered US intelligence officials to “redouble” their efforts to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, including any possibility the trail might lead to a Chinese laboratory.
“We're continuing to work with health experts to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic and regularly update our policies as new facts and trends emerge," Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, said in a statement on Wednesday.
After months of minimising these claims as a fringe theory, the Biden administration is joining worldwide pressure for China to be more open about the outbreak. It aims to head off GOP complaints that Biden has not been tough enough and use the opportunity to press China on alleged obstruction.
Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe with 169,604,307 infected by the deadly contagion. While 151,452,982 have recovered, 3,523,421 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 33,994,291, followed by India, Brazil, France and Turkey. However, in the past seven days, India has added the highest number of fresh cases at 1,596,530, followed by Brazil (460,249) and Argentina (210,975).
Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data. The South Asia region - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka - accounts for 18% of global cases and almost 10% of deaths.
NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitize, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
