Facebook helping Pakistanis to provide accurate information on Covid-19

Facebook is working with the Pakistani government, communities, and businesses to amplify the power of digital technology to navigate this challenging time.

Anyone who searches for information related to the virus on Facebook or Instagram will be shown educational pop-ups on top of search results connecting them to expert health organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NHSRC.

Over the past month, we notified millions of people on their News Feed with posts directing them to local health authorities on Facebook for further information about the coronavirus.

More recently, Facebook launched a coronavirus (Covid-19) Information Centre on the platform to act as a central hub for people to find information and resources from trusted health authorities such as the NHSRC, as well as actions they can take to stay healthy and support their family and community.

Globally and also in Pakistan, our third-party fact-checkers are continuing their work reviewing content and debunking false claims that are spreading related to the coronavirus. When they rate information as false, its spread limited on Facebook and Instagram and show people accurate information from these partners. Facebook also sending notifications to people, who already shared or are trying to share this content to alert them that it's been fact-checked.

Globally and in Pakistan, Facebook has temporarily ban advertisements and commerce listings, like those on Marketplace, that sell medical face masks. Social platform already prohibit people from making health or medical claims related to the Coronavirus in product listings on commerce surfaces, including those listings that guarantee a product will prevent someone from contracting it.

Facebook is working in Pakistan with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (NHSRC) and world organisations such as WHO and UNICEF to provide accurate information about Covid-19.

Facebook helped NHSRC in boosting key messages about Covid-19 on social media platform. Similarly, with the support of Facebook and Botsify.com, the NHSRC launched an automated Messenger Experience in English and Urdu to help people determine if they need to be seen by a doctor for coronavirus, and get the latest updates on the number of cases and regions affected by the coronavirus. It also helps people find labs nearby and provides answers to the most common questions about the coronavirus.