Facebook and Instagram 'allowing Covid misinformation to thrive'

NewsGuard said some pages did include Facebook labels offering links to 'the latest coronavirus information' but added that not enough was being done by platforms to inform users about the trustworthiness of sources

A new report said misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines has been allowed to spread on more than a dozen Facebook and Instagram accounts which have gained hundreds of thousands of followers over the past year. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines has been allowed to spread on more than a dozen Facebook and Instagram accounts which have gained some 370,000 followers over the past year, according to a new report.

A study by NewsGuard, which monitors online misinformation, highlighted 20 accounts, pages and groups which were continuing to push conspiracy theories and false claims around Covid-19 but were allowed to remain online and gain tens of thousands of new followers.