Facebook Without Fact-Checkers Will Put Truth to the Test
Crowdsourcing accuracy online is complicated. But Community Notes, when used correctly, can be a valuable tool.
Illustration: Sebastian König for Bloomberg
On Aug. 4, 2021, Instagram’s fact-checkers removed a post about the drug ivermectin. The post had come from the Cochrane Library, a highly respected international organization that collates and summarizes medical research. After thoroughly reviewing available data, Cochrane had told their followers they had found no evidence to support ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19.
Surely Instagram’s fact-checkers had made a mistake? Cochrane appealed the decision; almost a year later, they finally received a notification that the post “goes against Community Guidelines.” In the meantime, Cochrane noticed that users were unable to mention them in posts, an indication the account was “shadow banned.”