Facebook has taken various initiatives to stop the spread of the coronavirus misinformation but the absence of human moderators is making it difficult for the platform to implement its new policies regarding the said aspect.
Consumer Reports has pulled various ads spreading fake information related to the coronavirus and Facebook is using its automated systems to flag potential contraventions of its policies.
The company’s automated system is coming up short in this aspect and Facebook’s efforts to remove ads violating its coronavirus-related policies.
The company has been trying to stop the spread of misinformation related to the coronavirus by implementing various new policies. Yet, the absence of human moderators is making it difficult for the policies to be implemented efficiently.
Consumer Reports were able to successfully buy advertisements that were against the coronavirus-related policies of the platform including an ad that claimed to drink a small amount of bleach could help cure the disease caused by the coronavirus. Consumer Reports pulled down those ads after buying them and the platform removed the associated accounts with these ads.
Most of the human moderators working for Facebook are contract-based workers who are unable to work from home. This leads the organization to rely on its automated systems to flag possible contraventions of its coronavirus-related policies. The automated systems use AI technology to do the said task.
It seems that Facebook’s automated systems are not working up to the mark although the company made these new arrangements several weeks ago. According to Consumer Reports, the ad suggesting taking small doses of bleach is highly grievous as the company’s executives including the Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg have frequently mentioned the claim to be violating the platform’s policies and should be blocked.
Ads were claiming the virus to be a malicious deception and discouraged the masses from practicing social distancing. These ads oppose the company’s policies which aim to take down those posts discouraging taking necessary precautions and medication for the disease.
One of the company’s representatives said that the automated tools can continue to mark these types of ads after they are bought and aired on the platform. There were other ads that the company’s automated tools could mark as ‘red flag’ to provide the Consumer Reports’ ads more review. These posts were made by the accounts that were created a few days before buying these ads. Scammers often use this approach to stay safe from being detected.
A company’s representative told media outlets that the platform has successfully removed millions of advertisements and retail listings that were against its policies. The spokesperson said that the company is always working to improve its systems to avoid the distribution of misinformation across its platform under these types of circumstances.
The social media giant has been facing criticism for its ad policies. According to the critics, the company enforces its ad policies in a biased manner and Facebook is accused of spreading misinformation related to HIV false cures and medications. Facebook’s transparency rules that aim to track political ads easily are effortless to bypass, stated a recent report from NY University.
Read next: Facebook Helps The Coronavirus Researchers By Launching New Tools Providing The Location Data Of Its Users
Consumer Reports has pulled various ads spreading fake information related to the coronavirus and Facebook is using its automated systems to flag potential contraventions of its policies.
The company’s automated system is coming up short in this aspect and Facebook’s efforts to remove ads violating its coronavirus-related policies.
The company has been trying to stop the spread of misinformation related to the coronavirus by implementing various new policies. Yet, the absence of human moderators is making it difficult for the policies to be implemented efficiently.
Consumer Reports were able to successfully buy advertisements that were against the coronavirus-related policies of the platform including an ad that claimed to drink a small amount of bleach could help cure the disease caused by the coronavirus. Consumer Reports pulled down those ads after buying them and the platform removed the associated accounts with these ads.
Most of the human moderators working for Facebook are contract-based workers who are unable to work from home. This leads the organization to rely on its automated systems to flag possible contraventions of its coronavirus-related policies. The automated systems use AI technology to do the said task.
It seems that Facebook’s automated systems are not working up to the mark although the company made these new arrangements several weeks ago. According to Consumer Reports, the ad suggesting taking small doses of bleach is highly grievous as the company’s executives including the Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg have frequently mentioned the claim to be violating the platform’s policies and should be blocked.
Ads were claiming the virus to be a malicious deception and discouraged the masses from practicing social distancing. These ads oppose the company’s policies which aim to take down those posts discouraging taking necessary precautions and medication for the disease.
Here are a few of the ads FB approved, but I didn’t publish. Others encouraged hoarding masks or recommended that people “stay healthy with SMALL daily doses of bleach.” pic.twitter.com/PiLUDBcDB2— Kaveh Waddell (@kavehwaddell) April 7, 2020
One of the company’s representatives said that the automated tools can continue to mark these types of ads after they are bought and aired on the platform. There were other ads that the company’s automated tools could mark as ‘red flag’ to provide the Consumer Reports’ ads more review. These posts were made by the accounts that were created a few days before buying these ads. Scammers often use this approach to stay safe from being detected.
A company’s representative told media outlets that the platform has successfully removed millions of advertisements and retail listings that were against its policies. The spokesperson said that the company is always working to improve its systems to avoid the distribution of misinformation across its platform under these types of circumstances.
The social media giant has been facing criticism for its ad policies. According to the critics, the company enforces its ad policies in a biased manner and Facebook is accused of spreading misinformation related to HIV false cures and medications. Facebook’s transparency rules that aim to track political ads easily are effortless to bypass, stated a recent report from NY University.
Read next: Facebook Helps The Coronavirus Researchers By Launching New Tools Providing The Location Data Of Its Users
