Social Media platform Facebook is now deleting groups that share information challenging the conventional wisdom on the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of Covid19.
Unmasking America!, one of the largest anti-mask groups on Facebook with reportedly 9,000 members, was banned by the company after a complaint of the media outlet The Verge.
The basis of The Verge’s complaint is that Unmasking America! and groups like it oppose current advice from health experts on the wearing of masks.
In a statement, Facebook said the group had been removed for violating its policies against “promoting harmful misinformation about COVID 19.” The company also said other groups flagged by The Verge were under review as well.
Major social media platforms announced in recent weeks that any information challenging orthodoxy on the Coronavirus pandemic would either be banned or labeled as “misinformation” on the platform.
More than 50 million posts have been given the misinformation warning label so far. According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, such a designation cuts the visibility of posts by 95%.
In addition to banning certain posts, Facebook also aggressively redirects users to what it considers “authoritative sources” on Covid19, such as the World Health Organization.
The WHO has infamously changed its guidelines on several Covid19-related topics such as human-to-human transmission as well as the wearing of masks.