Facebook deletes posts raising wildfire conspiracy theories in the US

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Facebook announced on the 12th (local time) that it is deleting posts spreading the 'conspiracy theory' that the large wildfires in Oregon, USA, were caused by arson by far-right or far-left groups.

Previously, Facebook responded by attaching warning labels to posts promoting conspiracy theories, but as these theories continued to spread and threatened to disrupt the work of firefighting authorities, Facebook took stronger action by deleting the posts.

Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone explained in a statement posted on Twitter, "We have confirmed with authorities that these rumors are diverting resources that fire and police departments need to control the wildfires and protect citizens."

He emphasized, "Considering the threat to human life as the fires spread, this aligns with Facebook's previous efforts to remove content that could lead to immediate harm."

On the 10th, PolitiFact, an external fact-checking partner of Facebook, reported on its website that dozens of posts identified the far-left anti-fascist movement group 'Antifa' as arsonists, and these posts were shared thousands of times.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated that after investigating posts alleging arson by extremists, all such claims were found to be false.

Meanwhile, large wildfires have simultaneously broken out in three U.S. West Coast states?California, Oregon, and Washington?resulting in 17 deaths so far. Fire authorities expect the number of casualties to rise.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.