Facebook and Instagram Deleted PIB Factcheck Post.
In an interesting move, Facebook and Instagram have deleted a post made from the verified account of Press Information Bureau (PIB). In this post, PIB had done a fact check of a news related to COVID19 vaccination. It is learnt from the sources that, Facebook and Instagram not only deleted this post but also issued a warning to the PIB account for blocking if such a post is made again.
The post shared by the official account of PIB had done fact check on a claim circulating on the social media where a French Nobel Laureate was attributed saying that all those who have taken COVID19 vaccine would die in two years. PIB had done a fact check and found this claim to be fake.
It is pertinent to mention that these social media platforms claim that they have put in place a robust system of fact checkers, especially to fight COVID19 related misinformation. However, there has been no transparency about the fact checkers who have been deployed by these social media entities.
In view of the growing uncertainty about the neutrality of these fact checkers, this move by Facebook and Instagram to delete the fact checks done by official accounts of Press Information Bureau, has added to the entire debate around the neutrality of fact checkers.
However, it seems only after the interventions made from a very senior level in the Government of India, Facebook and Instagram restored these posts.
