Facebook COVID-19 policy

Under our Community Standards, we remove information when public health authorities conclude that the information exposes them.

These are the Community Standards of Facebook - the rules that will get you kicked off the platform. How many points can you spot that are misinformation, information, and just stupid (to make it seem all the rest of the points are in the same category of stupid)?

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Under our Community Standards, we remove misinformation when public health authorities conclude that the information is false and likely to contribute to imminent violence or physical harm. Since COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in January 2020, we have applied this policy to content containing claims related to COVID-19 that, according to public health authorities, are (a) false, and (b) likely to contribute to imminent physical harm (examples of imminent physical harm include: increasing the likelihood of exposure to or transmission of the virus or having adverse effects on the public health system's ability to cope with the pandemic). The goal of this policy is to reduce health harm to people, while also allowing people to discuss, debate and share their opinions, personal experiences, science and news related to the COVID-19 pandemic¹. More specifically, we remove false information about:

The existence or severity of COVID-19. Acknowledging the existence and understanding the severity of COVID-19 is foundational to keeping people safe and aware of the dangers of this public health emergency. We remove claims that deny the existence of the disease or undermine the severity of COVID-19. This includes:

• Claims that deny the existence of the COVID-19 disease or pandemic

• Claims that downplay the severity of COVID-19, such as:

  • Claims that COVID-19 is no more dangerous to people than the common flu or cold

  • Claims that no one has died from COVID-19

  • Claims that the mortality rate of COVID-19 is the same or lower than seasonal influenza

  • Claims that having a flu jab or flu vaccine is more likely to kill you than COVID-19

  • Claims that the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 are much lower than the official figure (requires additional information and/or context)

• Claims about the cause of COVID-19 that are linked to 5G communication technologies, such as:

  • Claims that COVID-19 social distancing orders are really just a way to install 5G wireless communication technology infrastructure

  • Claims that the symptoms of COVID-19 are actually the effect of 5G communication technologies.

• E.g. "No one has died from COVID-19", "Social distancing orders are really just a way to install 5G infrastructure", "COVID-19 is not real!"

COVID-19 transmission and immunity: Understanding how COVID-19 is transmitted and who can be infected is a critical component of protecting people from getting or spreading the virus. Public health authorities state that COVID-19 can be transmitted in any location and primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks. Public health authorities also agree that all people, regardless of age or other unique characteristics, can be infected with and spread COVID-19. We remove false claims about how and where COVID-19 can be transmitted and who can be infected. This includes:

• Claims that any group is immune or cannot die from COVID-19 or that a specific activity or treatment results in immunity

• Claims that COVID-19 cannot be transmitted through the air, in certain climates, weather conditions or locations

• Claims that COVID-19 can be transmitted from anything other than human-to-human transmission, such as:

  • Claims that COVID-19 is the cause of or transmitted by 5G technologies

  • Claims that COVID-19 is transmitted by the flu jab or flu vaccine, or that having the flu vaccine or jab makes people more susceptible/likely to get COVID-19

  • Claims that COVID-19 is transmitted by house flies or mosquitoes

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are the cause of or infect people with COVID-19

• E.g. "Elderly people are immune from COVID-19", "COVID-19 cannot be transmitted in tropical climates", "The COVID-19 vaccine causes COVID-19!"

Guaranteed cures or prevention methods for COVID-19: Public health authorities, such as the WHO, say there is currently nothing that can guarantee recovery or guarantee that the average person will not get COVID-19. We have also heard from public health authorities that if people thought there was a guaranteed cure or prevention for COVID-19, which could lead them to take incorrect safety measures, ignore appropriate health guidance or even attempt harmful self-medication. This is why we don't allow false claims about how to cure or prevent COVID-19. This includes:

• Claims that, for the average person, something can guarantee prevention from getting COVID-19 or can guarantee recovery from COVID-19 before such a cure or prevention has been approved, including:

  • Consuming or inhaling specific items

  • Medical or herbal remedies

  • External remedies for the outer body or skin

  • E.g. "Take vitamin C – it cures COVID-19", "If you take this herbal remedy, you will not get COVID-19", "This topical cream will prevent you from contracting coronavirus."

Discouraging good health practices: There are a number of good health practices that public health authorities advise people take to protect themselves from getting or spreading COVID-19. This includes wearing a face mask, social distancing, being tested for COVID-19 and, more recently, being vaccinated against COVID-19. Public health authorities have issued emergency use authorisation for several COVID-19 vaccines, so in addition to false claims about face masks, social distancing and testing, we do not allow false claims about the vaccines or vaccination programmes which public health experts have advised us could lead to COVID-19 vaccine rejection. This includes false claims about the safety, efficacy, ingredients, development, existence or conspiracies related to the vaccine or vaccination programme. As more information becomes available about COVID-19 vaccines, we will continue to iterate on how we apply this policy. This includes:

• Claims about wearing a face mask, including:

  • Claims that wearing a face mask does not help prevent the spread of COVID-19

  • Claims that face masks include or are connected to 5G technology or that face masks contain harmful nanoworms or harmful particles

  • Claims that wearing a face mask can make the wearer ill

  • Claims that health authorities do not recommend that healthy people wear masks where this is not the current public health guidance (requires additional information and/or context).

• Claims that social/physical distancing does not help prevent the spread of COVID-19

• Claims that could discourage someone from having a government-approved COVID-19 test, including:

  • Claims that COVID-19 can be successfully tested without an approved test

  • Claims that COVID-19 tests actually come pre-infected or can infect you with COVID-19

  • Claims that COVID-19 tests approved by public health authorities cannot detect COVID-19 or that PCR tests cannot distinguish between COVID-19 and the flu

  • Claims that COVID-19 tests cause cancer

  • Claims that COVID-19 tests contain harmful nanoparticles or nanoworms

  • Claims that COVID-19 tests are being used to harvest people's DNA

• Claims about COVID-19 vaccines that contribute to vaccine rejection, including:

  • Claims about the availability or existence of COVID-19 vaccines, specifically:

    • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines do not exist or have not been approved

    • Claims that there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved COVID-19 vaccines or that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has not received full FDA approval (does not apply to claims about the vaccine for children aged 5-15, which is under emergency use authorisation)

    • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are not approved by the FDA if that content also suggests that the vaccines are unsafe, ineffective, experimental or have not been appropriately tested. Otherwise, we will allow claims that the FDA has not approved the vaccine or make a clear distinction between a full FDA approval and an emergency use authorisation with appropriate context such as distinguishing between different types of COVID-19 vaccines.

    • Claims that something other than a COVID-19 vaccine can vaccinate you against COVID-19

    • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are experimental, if the context of the claim also suggests that vaccinated people are taking part in a medical experiment.

• Claims about the safety or serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, including:

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people, which we define as leading to any of the following harmful side effects:

    • Death

    • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

    • Multiple sclerosis

    • COVID-19 or a new COVID-19 strain

    • Autism

    • Miscarriages

    • Infertility or sterilisation

    • Birth defects

    • Shedding

    • Altering DNA

    • Blood clots (except in relation to specific vaccines for which public health authorities have found possible links or are officially investigating such reports)

    • Alzheimer's

    • Prion's disease

    • Bell's palsy

    • Erectile dysfunctions

    • Magnetism

    • Other side effects which are impossible or irrational, such as taking the vaccine turns you into a monkey (requires additional information and/or context).

• Claims that the spike proteins created by the COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous/cytotoxic.

• Claims that building immunity by getting COVID-19 is safer than having the vaccine

• Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe generally, or for a certain specific group of people, if that group is identified based on protected characteristics or other identifiers not directly related to their personal health, age or disabilities (e.g. social status, religion or political views), or that vaccines are unsafe for menstruating women.

• Claims that being near vaccinated people causes adverse effects on unvaccinated people

• Claims about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, including:

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines do not provide any immunity to people

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are not effective in preventing COVID-19

  • Claims that people who are vaccinated are more at risk for getting ill with COVID-19 than people who are unvaccinated

• Claims about how the COVID-19 vaccine was developed or its ingredients, including:

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain toxic, prohibited or harmful ingredients, microchips, animal products or anything not on the vaccine ingredient list

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are untested

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain the mark of the beast

  • Claims that people died as a result of the COVID-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine during clinical trials (Note: We allow claims that people died during the COVID-19 Pfizer/BioNTech clinical trials) (requires additional information and/or context).

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain, or were developed, produced or designed from/with, human tissue from aborted foetuses/aborted foetal tissue.

• Claims involving conspiracy theories about a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccination programme, including:

  • Claims that COVID-19 vaccines are designed to or were developed in order to control a population for non-public health purposes

  • Claims that specific populations are being used or targeted in order to test the true safety or efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine

  • Claims that vaccines are the reason behind the emergence of COVID-19 variants

• Examples of claims that violate the above-listed policies include: "Wearing a face mask doesn't help prevent the spread of COVID-19", "Social distancing does nothing to reduce COVID-19 in the community", "COVID-19 tests come pre-infected with the disease", "The COVID-19 vaccine will kill you", "The COVID-19 vaccine contains a microchip", "The COVID-19 vaccine provides no immunity", "The COVID-19 vaccine causes autism!"

Access to essential health services: Public health infrastructure is at the core of the global fight to combat COVID-19. According to the WHO and other public health authorities, previous outbreaks of infectious diseases have shown that disruption to essential services can be more deadly than the outbreak itself, and ensuring access to essential services is the cornerstone of an effective health response. Adverse effects on the public health system's ability to cope with the pandemic can have a direct impact on helping people stay healthy and safe in this health emergency. We remove content that can contribute to physical harm by inaccurately representing the access to or availability of public health infrastructure. When we have additional information and/or context to identify it, we also prohibit:

• Claims that misrepresent the access, availability or eligibility of health services, such as hospitals, emergency responders, ambulance response, treatments and vaccines.

  • Claims that hospitals or a specific hospital is closed and will not permit infected people.

  • Claims that only certain people are allowed to receive medical care for COVID-19.

  • Claims that hospitals kill patients in order to inflate the number of COVID-19 deaths, to get more money or in order to sell people's organs

    • E.g. "Hospitals kill patients to increase their COVID-19 numbers and get more money!"

Similarly, for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we remove content that repeats other false health information, primarily about vaccines, that are widely debunked by leading health organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The goal of this policy is to combat misinformation about vaccinations and diseases, which, if believed, could result in reduced vaccinations and harm public health and safety. The claims that we have applied this to include:

• Vaccines cause autism

  • E.g. "Increased vaccinations are why so many kids have autism these days."

• Vaccines cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

  • E.g. "Don't you know that vaccines cause SIDS?"

• Vaccines cause the disease against which they are meant to protect, or cause the person to be more likely to get the disease

  • E.g. "Taking a vaccine actually makes you more likely to get the disease as there's a strain of the disease inside. Beware!"

• Vaccines or their ingredients are deadly, toxic, poisonous, harmful or dangerous

  • E.g. "Sure, you can take vaccines, if you don't mind putting poison in your body."

• Natural immunity is safer than vaccine-acquired immunity

  • E.g. "It's safest to just get the disease rather than the vaccine."

• It is dangerous to have several vaccines in a short period of time, even if that timing is medically recommended

  • E.g. "Never take more than one vaccine at the same time, that is dangerous – I don't care what your doctor tells you!"

• Vaccines are not effective in preventing the disease against which they purport to protect

  • E.g. "Vaccines actually don't do anything to stop you from getting the disease."

• Acquiring measles cannot cause death (requires additional information and/or context)

  • E.g. "Don't worry about whether you get measles, it can't be fatal"

• Vitamin C is as effective as vaccines in preventing diseases for which vaccines exist.

Pages, groups, profiles and Instagram accounts that repeatedly post misinformation or coordinate harm (see Coordinating Harm Policies at the top of this entry) related to COVID-19, vaccines and health may face restrictions, including (but not limited to) reduced distribution, removal from recommendations or removal from our site. On Instagram, accounts that repeatedly post content that violates our policies on COVID-19 or vaccine misinformation may also lose the ability to be tagged or mentioned, or may see pop-ups asking if they'd like to delete certain posts that may violate our policies.

1. Well they completely failed on this point didn’t they! How much “discussion, debate and sharing of opinions, personal experiences, science and news related to the COVID-19 pandemic” is actually tolerated on FaceBook??