Facebook Launches Climate Science Information Center Amid Fake News Criticism

Facebook’s new tool will be rolled out in the France, Germany, UK, US, and eventually to other countries.

By Reuters | Updated: 15 September 2020 13:58 IST

Photo Credit: Reuters

Facebook also confirmed that its global operations will achieve net zero carbon emissions this year

Highlights

FB has faced allegations that it permits false claims on climate change
FB hasn't measured the effectiveness of coronavirus information center
It has seen 600 million people clicking on the tool

Facebook on Tuesday launched a Climate Science Information Center to elevate credible sources on climate change, as critics question its role in the spread of misinformation on the issue.

Facebook said the project is modeled on its COVID-19 Information Center, and launched a similar feature last month on voting in preparation for US elections in November.

The tool will be rolled out in the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and eventually to other countries.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

"The Climate Science Information Center is a dedicated space on Facebook with factual resources from the world's leading climate organisations and actionable steps people can take in their everyday lives to combat climate change," the company said in a post.

It said articles from high-quality publishers and other sources on climate science news will also be available at the center.

Facebook has faced allegations that it permits false claims around climate change through a policy that exempts opinion articles from its external fact-checking system.

Google Sets Unprecedented Goal to Tap Only Renewable Power by 2030

It has said that it prioritises handling of misinformation that poses an immediate threat of harm, like bogus coronavirus cures or hate speech that could incite violence.

Facebook's global policy chief Nick Clegg said the company would continue exempting false claims about climate change posted by politicians, although these are often among the most popular content on the platform.

"No social media company has ever tried to do so for the simple reason that political speeches always are characterised by exaggerations, selected uses of statistics, and exaggerated claims of virtues from one candidate and vices of others," Clegg told reporters.

The company has not measured the effectiveness of its coronavirus information center in countering false narratives about the pandemic, although product chief Chris Cox said it has seen 600 million people clicking on the tool, which executives considered a success.

Facebook also confirmed that its global operations will achieve net zero carbon emissions and be 100 percent supported by renewable energy this year.

Is Android One holding back Nokia smartphones in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.