Cybersecurity Experts On Facebook fights against virus misinformation

By   muhammad malik
Chief Editor , Information Security Buzz | May 22, 2020 12:43 am PST

In his first UK broadcast interview in five years, Mark Zuckerberg told the BBC that Facebook had, and would, remove any content likely to result in “immediate and imminent harm” to users. This has included Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s claim that scientists had “proved” there was a coronavirus cure and content from former broadcaster and conspiracy theorist David Icke, who suggested both that 5G mobile phone networks are linked to the spread of the virus and that a Jewish group was behind the virus.

He also said that Facebook had removed content from groups claiming that the rollout of the 5G digital network was a cause of the spread of the virus and in some cases encouraged those who believed that to damage the networks physical infrastructure. However, Facebook has insisted that unless there was the prospect of real imminent harm, then the company would and should allow what he called the “widest possible aperture” for freedom of expression on the internet.

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Jake Moore
Jake Moore , Global Cyber Security Advisor
May 22, 2020 8:45 am

No doubt the spread of misinformation was not on Zuckerberg’s radar when he created Facebook in his dorm room all those years ago. The problem is, Facebook is now so big that it can rapidly and easily spread hate, fear, and – of course – fake news. This is extremely worrying for the public and damaging to the Facebook brand. So it is vital that it is curbed in any way possible, but not even money can stop posts appearing and influencing people’s views.

Artificial intelligence is slowly increasing, and getting better with the more data it reviews, but we can’t wholly rely on it yet. Instead, stopping the spread of misinformation still relies on people flagging the posts. Sadly, social media can’t be policed or edited quickly enough to minimise the spread, as information doesn’t have to go “viral” to cause the intended damage.

Last edited 3 years ago by Jake Moore

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