B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Cannes Lions
  • NRL
  • AFL
  • WPP
  • State of Origin
  • B&T Women in Media
  • Thinkerbell
  • Pinterest
  • imaa
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Meta
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • ARN
  • Foxtel
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: Over Two Billion People Have Visited Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Centre Since Launch
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Technology > Over Two Billion People Have Visited Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Centre Since Launch
Technology

Over Two Billion People Have Visited Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Centre Since Launch

Staff Writers
Published on: 9th December 2020 at 11:08 PM
Edited by Staff Writers
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Center has been visited by More than 2 billion people since it was launched in March by the social media conglomerate.

In an effort to disseminate trustworthy health information on the coronavirus, Facebook introduced its own COVID-19 information centre as a central hub that collects information from credible third-party sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Speaking at Facebook’s recent APAC Press Day, Facebook vice president APAC Dan Neary said that, since the information centre launched in March, it has been visited by more than 2 billion people.

It comes as part of a string of efforts the social media conglomerate has introduced to combat disinformation, with Facebook having labelled over 50 million pieces of content around the coronavirus as misinformation, Neary said.

Dan Neary, Facebook’s vice president APAC (source: supplied)

In recent days, however, this has seen Facebook amplify its efforts to address what will be another huge challenge: removing false claims about coronavirus vaccines, like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine currently being rolled out in the United Kingdom, that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram.

“This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm,” Facebook said in a statement.

“This could include false claims about the safety, efficacy, ingredients or side effects of the vaccines. For example, we will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn’t on the official vaccine ingredient list.

“We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false: like specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccine’s safety.”

Facebook said it would regularly update the claims it removes based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more.

The move comes as, in other news, Facebook prepares to overhaul its algorithms used to detect hate speech.

The social media conglomerate has additionally prohibited exploitative tactics in ads and banned ads for medical face masks, hand sanitiser, disinfecting wipes and COVID-19 test kits.

Moreover, Facebook has collaborated with local governments and emergency health organisations to reach people on Facebook and Messenger, and collaborate using Workplace for free.

Facebook invests millions in healthcare, and the press

In Singapore, Facebook collaborated with the country’s government to create a WhatsApp bot—established to provide daily updates from the Singapore government to share updates and address misinformation. The Singapore government’s official Gov.sg WhatsApp channel now has more than 600,000 opt-in users.

But Facebook has extended its efforts outside of its platform.

Neary revealed the company had committed US$20 million to support health organisations in their COVID-19 relief efforts, and donated US$25 million to support healthcare workers on the frontline.

Recapping the year that was, Neary also revealed the company had extended its efforts toward combatting misinformation to other fields critical to keeping people informed: namely, the press.

Earlier in the year, Facebook made an additional $100 million investment to support the news industry.

This included $25 million in emergency grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, and $75 million in additional marketing spend to move money over to news organisations around the world.

However, perhaps the largest donation Facebook has made is through its Small Business Grants Program, which Neary said would provide US$100 million in grants for SMBs, “targeted to help over 30,000 businesses in over 30 countries” struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

MiQ Sigma: The Brain Behind Programmatic’s Next Evolution
10/07/2025
Agency Scorecard: Special
09/07/2025
Agency Scorecard: iProspect
09/07/2025
Meet Adland’s Best Number-Whisperers In The Best Of The Best Data Scientists!
09/07/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?