Harmful misinformation continues to travel around the world, threatening our ability to slow the spread of COVID-19 and end the crisis. Today, we look at some of the latest news on COVID-19 misinformation, including the steps social media platforms are taking to try to address fake news on their platforms.

1. This week, Facebook announced it was extending its ban on COVID vaccine misinformation, keeping fake claims about the vaccine off the platform. The policy is part of a new effort from the platform to promote vaccine confidence.

2. Twitter is piloting a new Birdwatch feature that aims to crowdsource fact-checking on its platform. Through Birdwatch, users would be able to write notes on tweets, flagging them as misleading or false, and add link to information sources. 

3. France24 reports that misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines is spreading in some African countries, fuelled my misinformation spread on social media.

4. One of Brazil’s first indigenous women to get a COVID-19 vaccine is now using social media to fight misinformation about the vaccine.

5. In the UK, a group of campaigners are working to combat COVID-19 misinformation in black and minority ethnic communities, using trusted leaders such as Imam Qari Asim to counter harmful myths.

Remember, we can all play our part in fighting COVID misinformation. Pause. #TakeCareBeforeYouShare