Facebook will no longer remove claims addressing the origins of coronavirus and whether it was man-made or manufactured, the announcement came Wednesday.
On the same day, the policy change came. President Biden ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” to investigate the virus’s origin, despite ending the investigation that former President Trump began with the State Department.
A memo released by Facebook detailing its new stance, pointing to “ongoing investigations” as reasons for its policy change while adding the provision that other restrictions remain.
A Facebook spokesman said:
In light of ongoing investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public health experts, we will no longer remove the claim that COVID-19 is man-made from our apps.
We’re continuing to work with health experts to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic and regularly update our policies as new facts and trends emerge.
Last December, Facebook announced it would remove what it decides are false claims about coronavirus vaccines, including posts that Facebook’s chosen health experts debunked.