They are only using fact checkers because it gives them someone to point to and say "Look we didn't make this call, they did". This is like a money laundering scheme but with brand reputation risk instead of money.
Facebook will retain absolute control and the people running this initiative will do whatever the brass tells them to, this program is just for deflecting complaints.
What would you have Facebook do, fact check using Twitter because the CDC made this one bad call? Do you think the modal CDC consensus is worse than that of Twitter?
Really, Facebook and others need to just give up on this. There is no principled commitment to anything here. "Misinformation" isn't even a meaningful concept. It's arrogant and abusive for randos at FB or other social media firms to believe they are so smart they can sift the entire world for what's true and what's not. Nobody can do that. Nobody.
Please read the whole section because I cherry picked just one paragraph without full context. I just wanted to demonstrate that nothing is actually all that obvious when it comes to the pandemic.
> Evidence on the protective effect of mask use in community settings
> At present there is only limited and inconsistent scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (75). A large randomized community-based trial in which 4862 healthy participants were divided into a group wearing medical/surgical masks and a control group found no difference in infection with SARS-CoV-2 (76). A recent systematic review found nine trials (of which eight were cluster-randomized controlled trials in which clusters of people, versus individuals, were randomized) comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness. Two trials were with healthcare workers and seven in the community. The review concluded that wearing a mask may make little or no difference to the prevention of influenza-like illness (ILI) (RR 0.99, 95%CI 0.82 to 1.18) or laboratory confirmed illness (LCI) (RR 0.91, 95%CI 0.66-1.26) (44); the certainty of the evidence was low for ILI, moderate for LCI.
The problem is with individuals and organizations that knowingly continue to promote misinformation like vaccines are bad for you.
but the passing criteria for a more rigorous mask test would be wearing one around non-household friends and family in tight quarters for prolonged periods of contact, and not wearing them in places where they do no good above and beyond distancing or environmental circumstances (like being outside or in low density/circulation areas indoors). an overwhelming majority of people fail this test, mostly because it defies our social instincts/conditioning promoting trust and closeness among the in-group and distrusting and distancing the out-group, but also because many have also fallen victim to pervasive and oft-repeated propaganda via social (and other) media.
Does this pass the mask test? As we all remember, the WHO said to not wear masks early during the outbreak. Twitter users, in particular, was way ahead on urging people TO wear a mask. Would Facebook now block that or reduce its distribution and potentially risk lives?