Facebook has become more aggressive at enforcing its coronavirus misinformation policies in the past year. But the platform remains a popular destination for people discussing how to acquire and use ivermectin, a drug typically used to treat parasitic worms, even though the Food and Drug Administration has warned people against taking it to treat Covid-19.
Facebook has taken down a handful of the groups dedicated to these discussions. But dozens more remain up, according to recent research. In some of those groups, members discuss strategies to evade the social network’s rules.
The groups also funnel members into alternative platforms where content moderation policies are more lax. In a Facebook group with more than 5,000 members called Ivermectin vs. Covid, a member shared a link to join a channel on Telegram, a messaging service, for further discussion of “the latest good news surrounding this miraculous pill.”
“Ivermectin is clearly the answer to solve covid and the world is waking up to this truth,” the user posted.
After The Times contacted Facebook about the Ivermectin vs. Covid group, the social network removed it from the platform.
