Reset Australia urges Facebook to revamp algorithms that direct users to COVID misinformation

Reset Australia wants Facebook to revamp algorithms that direct users to anti-vax sites, Covid misinformation and conspiratorial groups.

Reset Australia wants Facebook to revamp algorithms that direct users to anti-vax sites, Covid misinformation and conspiratorial groups.

The Australian this week reported research by internet trust tool NewsGuard that anti-vax groups were not only thriving on the platform.

Facebook algorithms were actively pushing users to other Covid misinformation groups such as anti-mask groups and 5G conspiratorial groups. Users were directed to this content after seeking health information.

Reset Australia’s executive director Chris Cooper says the Facebook recommendations are the result of unchecked algorithms.

“Social media’s unchecked algorithms are supercharging conspiracy theories and misinformation, pushing some people into echo chambers where false information is all they see,” he says.

“Rampant misinformation on social media is compounding challenges in Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Genuine health concerns are being hijacked by anti-vax groups to stoke vaccine hesitancy and resistance.”

According to Reset Australia research, the number of Australians following public anti-vax groups on Facebook surged 280 per cent between January 2020 and March 2021.

The group says engagement with Facebook groups exploded during the initial 2020 national lockdown. Melbourne’s second lockdown generated more than 177,000 monthly interactions, and this engagement has remained consistently high.

“We know that lockdowns create the perfect environmental factors that pull people down rabbit holes,” says Mr Cooper. “During lockdowns we’re all online more, we’re worried and looking for answers, and we’re all trying to find engaging content to alleviate a bit of the boredom.

“Facebook algorithms are designed to pull us in and keep us online – but they don’t discriminate on what they’re engaging us with.

“If we want to stop the spread of misinformation online we actually need transparency about how these algorithms are operating and how we can moderate or disrupt their rabbit hole tendencies.”

Reset Australia wants the Australian government to require that platforms publish a “live list” of the most viral content surrounding COVID-19, so that misinformation can be seen and tracked.

The group says the initiative has been backed by leading public health bodies, including the Doherty Institute, the Immunisation Coalition, the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, and CoronaVax.

“Australian authorities and the Australian public should be able to answer questions like: What kind of content is being amplified by these platforms? Who made it? What kind of demographics are consuming it?” Mr Cooper says.

“To do that we need a live list of the most contentious issues our society is facing, so we can begin to tackle misinformation collectively and transparently.

“Tech giants have created platforms that produce both mega-profits and serious societal problems. If they accept the profits, they must also accept the oversight.”

Reset Australia sees the days when social media sites regulate content themselves as over.

“Self-regulation will not work. It is no longer acceptable to have a user-beware style model when it comes to social media and digital platforms.”