How do you solve a problem like Facebook?

The revolutionary shift in communication brought about by social networks has brought with it a wave of misinformation, a problem felt especially keenly during the ‘infodemic’ that accompanied the global spread of Covid-19. As the company behind three of the world’s largest social networks, Facebook has come in for increasing criticism for its role in propagating dangerous false claims and conspiracy theories. Repeated rule and policy changes, often implemented only after exposés such as the Bureau’s investigations, have failed to stop millions from being exposed to falsehoods and conspiracy theories on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Is Facebook, and social media as a whole, intrinsically vulnerable to the human impulse to spread falsehoods? Or are these attention maximising businesses built in a way that actually encourages and rewards those who use them to mislead?

Can Facebook fix itself, or must regulators step in? Just how do you solve a problem like Facebook? Join the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Ethical Journalism Network to discuss the global impact of online misinformation and what needs to be done to stop the spread.

Register for the event here.