Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has told the BBC that it has some content likely to result in "immediate and imminent harm" to users and will delete it.
It removed Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's claim that scientists had "proved" there was a coronavirus cure. That was omitted because, he said, "obviously" it was not valid. He also said that Facebook had removed content from groups claiming the rollout of the digital 5 G network was a cause of the virus spread and in some cases encouraged those who believed it to damage the physical infrastructure of the networks.
Recently , Facebook removed material from former broadcaster and conspiracy theorist David Icke "for repeated violations of our negative misinformation policies." Mr Icke proposed that 5 G mobile telecommunications networks be connected to the spread of the virus and that a Jewish community be behind the virus in another video he proposed. Facebook has maintained, however, that unless there is a risk of real imminent damage, then the company will and should allow what it calls the "widest possible aperture" for Internet freedom of speech.
He also told the BBC that the "arms race" against countries like Russia, Iran , and China is to avoid political intervention. He said the company had been "behind" in the US presidential election in 2016. In his first five-year UK broadcast interview, he said in 2016 Facebook was unprepared for state-sponsored interference.
Previously, Facebook became entangled in a political controversy in which hundreds of millions of data about its users ended up in the hands of political interest groups like Cambridge Analytica. But he said the social media giant, which also controls Whatsapp and Instagram, is now better positioned than other businesses, and even governments, to prevent potential attempts to manipulate political outcomes.
Mr Zuckerberg also defended his personal level of influence over perhaps the most influential media outlets in the world. While Facebook is a public corporation worth almost $700bn (£574bn), it effectively retains complete corporate control due to an ownership structure that gives it a controlling interest while it owns a small fraction of the stock.
He said it helped Facebook to make long-term strategic decisions that proved to be correct, such as waiting to develop the experience of Facebook before releasing it on smartphones and not selling it to rivals early. Facebook continues to face criticism of its inability to identify or define itself as a publisher and therefore assume the kind of editorial duty legally binding on newspapers and conventional broadcasters.
It would be difficult to argue, however, that Facebook , WhatsApp and Instagram did not provide billions of people with the kind of interaction with friends and family that was necessary during this global pandemic, and the consequent restrictions on movement and freedom. Nonetheless, after years of controversy and outrage, it seems obvious that Facebook and Mr Zuckerberg feel more comfortable in their public positions.
Whether there are any winners out of this public health disaster, they include internet businesses such as Twitter, Netflix and Amazon. No one, however, is completely resistant to the deep decline that is already upon us and the proof for which any new economic release is verified.
Facebook understands this, which is one of the reasons why it is keen to support small businesses online by launching a service called Facebook Shops this week. This is an exchange of shared benefits. Those businesses are Facebook's current and future customers. For Facebook what is right for them is perfect.
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