July 26 (UPI) -- Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is considering a change to its COVID-19 misinformation policy now that the pandemic "has evolved."
Meta has asked the company's Oversight Board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, to decide whether removing "false claims about masks, social distancing and vaccines" on Facebook is still appropriate as "countries around the world seek to return to more normal life," Meta's president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said Tuesday in a blog post.
Among the options going forward, Meta will consider labeling or demoting misinformation rather than removing it.
"As the pandemic has evolved, the time is right for us to seek input from the Oversight Board about our measures to address COVID-19 misinformation, including whether those introduced in the early days of an extraordinary global crisis remains the right approach for the months and years ahead," Clegg said. "The world has changed considerably since 2020."
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Facebook expanded its misinformation policy in January of 2020 with the start of COVID-19 and continued the following year to remove false information about vaccines.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy called misinformation about vaccines an "urgent" public health threat and an "infodemic," as he urged tech giants like Facebook last year to stop the spread of false data online.
The White House even reviewed policies to see if social media companies could be held legally liable for misinformation about COVID-19, but Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields internet companies, like Meta, from legal liability for content posted by its users.
Meta said it remains committed to fighting false data about COVID-19.
"Meta has removed COVID-19 misinformation on an unprecedented scale," Clegg said. "Globally, more than 25 million pieces of content have been removed since the start of the pandemic."
While no timeline has been given, Meta's Oversight Board will recommend how its social media platforms should handle COVID-19 misinformation in the future.
"The pandemic itself has evolved. In many countries, where vaccination rates are relatively high, life is increasingly returning to normal. But this isn't the case everywhere," Clegg said.
"That's why we are seeking the advice of the Oversight Board in this case," he said. "Its guidance will also help us respond to future public health emergencies."
