The Facebook "like" sign is seen at Facebook's corporate headquarters campus in Menlo Park, ... [+] California, on October 23, 2019. AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsIn a Tuesday report, Facebook detailed a “disinformation laundromat” in which false information about Pfizer and AstraZeneca’s vaccines was planted online, spread via social media and amplified by influencers with pre-existing audiences. The campaign first surfaced in late 2020, Facebook said: It used articles, petitions and “crude and spammy” social media posts to boost conspiracy theories about the AstraZeneca vaccine, including a claim that the vaccine turns patients into chimpanzees. Key BackgroundSince the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, social media platforms have struggled with a torrent of posts falsely downplaying the virus’ severity, denigrating vaccines and promoting dodgy cures. In its report Tuesday, Facebook said these influencers helped to expose Fazze’s campaign by choosing to come forward.

Source: Forbes August 10, 2021 20:26 UTC