Reply To: Week 1 Topic discussion 2

[Wah Wah Lwin]

To my knowledge, during the COVID-19 era, Facebook sought to minimize the spread of misinformation by using automated systems to detect and remove suspicious content that repeatedly shared information not aligned with updates, news, and guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, to promote accurate information and public education, Facebook boosted posts from trusted health organizations such as the WHO, ensuring that reliable updates on COVID-19 trends, notifications, and precautions appeared in users’ news feeds. I think other platforms, such as YouTube, use similar technology to minimize misinformation. However, it is sometimes difficult to determine which sources of information are truly reliable and what criteria social media platforms use to check and balance the delivery of accurate information to users. This can be complicated further by potential influences from political interests and decision-makers. For example, political leaders are nowadays using social media platforms to gain public trust.