Climate misinformation running high on Facebook, says report

(EurActiv, 5 Nov 2021) Climate misinformation is “rampant” on Facebook, despite the platform’s claims to the contrary, according to a new report.

Research released this week by Stop Funding Heat and the Real Facebook Oversight Board found climate misinformation attracts between 818,000 and 1.36 million views on the platform each day. It also noted that the platform continues to underperform on fact-checking.

This is despite claims by the company that it stepped up efforts to tackle climate misinformation, most recently in the context of the ongoing COP26 summit. The claim had a ripple effect and saw other social media platforms announce measures to address the problematic spread of misinformation.

Facebook is under particular scrutiny at the moment, following the release of a tranche of documents by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who will appear before the European Parliament’s IMCO committee next week. 

An array of damning stories have emerged from the files relating to decision-making within the company, recently rebranded as Meta, and its knowledge of its harmful impact around the world. 

“Facebook is the Big Tobacco of our generation, greenwashing to avoid responsibility and sowing confusion and doubt about climate change in the global conversation”, the Real Facebook Oversight Board said in a statement.

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EurActiv, 5 Nov 2021: Climate misinformation running high on Facebook, says report

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