Facebook steps up fight against vaccine misinformation

Social media giant Facebook says it will remove groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations on its site.

It's the latest step Facebook and others are taking to stem the tide of misinformation on social media sites.

Facebook says it will take its cue from global health organisations, such as the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have publicly identified verifiable vaccine hoaxes.

If groups and pages spread those hoaxes, they won't appear in recommendations or in predictions functions when searched for in Facebook. Ads with similar information will be rejected.

And content that contains the misinformation won't be shown on Instagram Explore or hashtag pages.

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