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As coronavirus misinformation spreads on social media, Facebook removes posts – Source Reuters Tech News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc said it will take down misinformation about China’s fast-spreading coronavirus, in a rare departure from its usual approach to dubious health content that is presenting a fresh challenge for social media companies.

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at the Facebook logo on a screen, June 3, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo

The coronavirus outbreak has stoked a wave of anti-China sentiment around the globe. Hoaxes have spread widely online, promoted by conspiracy theorists and exacerbated by a dearth of information from the cordoned-off zone around China’s central city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

Nearly 12,000 people have been infected in China, according to local health authorities, and more than 130 cases reported in at least 25 other countries and regions.

Facebook said in a blog post that it would remove content about the virus “with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations…

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Source Reuters Tech News

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