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Health officials have reached an agreement with major social media companies to ensure that anyone looking for information online about Covid-19 vaccines is directed to reliable sources.
The move comes amid concerns around the world regarding misinformation and skepticism about vaccines as efforts increase to ensure the necessary public participation.
“We are providing regularly updated information on the HSE website and are working with Facebook and Twitter to ensure that the public is getting accurate and reliable health information regarding vaccines,” said Paul Reid, HSE CEO on Wednesday.
The HSE said its deals with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram mean that searches for vaccine information in Ireland will prompt users to visit its website in the first place.
“We had similar associations in relation to [general] Covid-19 information. We ask that people obtain their information from reliable sources and follow public health advice, ”he said.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, deputy chief medical officer for the Department of Health, said such efforts to counter misinformation and misinformation related to the virus are welcome.
“The potential for false claims, myths and rumors to negatively influence those in our society who have genuine and very understandable questions about the new vaccine remains a concern,” he said.
Twitter has recently expanded its disinformation policy to cover tweets it believes are promoting “harmful, false or misleading narratives” about vaccines. Facebook said that since March it has been providing free advertising for public health campaigns “connecting people to accurate and authoritative information and preventing the spread of harmful misinformation.”
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