{"id":178408,"date":"2021-02-01T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T12:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=178408"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:08:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:08:48","slug":"misinformation-market-the-money-making-tools-facebook-hands-to-covid-cranks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2021\/02\/misinformation-market-the-money-making-tools-facebook-hands-to-covid-cranks\/","title":{"rendered":"Misinformation Market: The Money-Making Tools Facebook Hands to Covid Cranks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_178409\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-178409\" class=\"wp-image-178409\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/FB_desinformation_vaccineV3_Bureau-investigates.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-178409\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protest against US pandemic measures. Credit: Jason Redmond\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>31 Jan 2021 &#8211; <\/em>The video opens with a question: \u201cCould this be bio-terrorism?\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Talking directly into the camera, the unshaven young man continues in a sarcastic American drawl: \u201cI\u2019m sure that there\u2019s no possible way that somebody could play Frankenstein and create the monster that they didn\u2019t mean to, or in many cases, did mean to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He moves on to reports in late 2019 that \u201cthousands of CEOs have been stepping down over the last year\u2026 Did these CEOs have insight that the global economy was going to tank and something was going on? \u2026 It seems like they had a heads up \u2026 I think they had a heads up on the economic collapse and they got out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man is An0maly, a \u201cnews analyst &amp; hip-hop artist\u201d with more than 1.5m Facebook followers. The video from March 2020, the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, is one of at least three videos and posts on An0maly\u2019s page that Facebook\u2019s fact-checkers have flagged for containing false or partly false information about the pandemic. Yet even today a strap appears under the videos inviting viewers to pay to \u201cBecome a supporter\u201d and \u201cSupport An0maly and enjoy special benefits\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>An0maly, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/pokemon-go-inspires-a-song_b_5783c3fae4b05b4c02fd204a\" >real name AJ Feleski<\/a>, runs one of 430 Facebook pages \u2013 followed by 45 million people \u2013 identified by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism as directly using Facebook\u2019s tools to raise money while spreading conspiracy theories or outright misinformation about the pandemic and vaccines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__sidebar\">\n<aside class=\"tb-c-story-pullquote\">\u201c[Online misinformation] continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic.\u201d World Health Organization<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>The Bureau\u2019s findings, which likely represent a small snapshot of the vast amount of monetised misinformation on Facebook, show how the site enables creators to profit from spreading potentially dangerous false theories to millions. Some of the posts seen by the Bureau could harm take up of coronavirus vaccines or lead to users believing the pandemic is a hoax. While Facebook generally does not take a cut of this income \u2013 although there are times when it does \u2013 it benefits from users engaging with this content and staying on its services, exposing them to more adverts.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook\u2019s policies for creators using monetisation tools include rules against misinformation, especially medical misinformation. In November, Facebook, along with Google and Twitter, agreed a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/social-media-giants-agree-package-of-measures-with-uk-government-to-tackle-vaccine-disinformation\" >joint statement with the UK government<\/a> committing to \u201cthe principle that no user or company should directly profit from Covid-19 vaccine mis\/disinformation. This removes an incentive for this type of content to be promoted, produced and be circulated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/bureau-reveal.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-178410\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/bureau-reveal-300x100.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/bureau-reveal-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/bureau-reveal.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Bureau&#8217;s findings suggest Facebook has failed to adequately implement this agreement and appropriately enforce its own policies. Separately, some parts of the business have seemingly been left without proper oversight of misinformation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__sidebar\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-breakout tb-c-story-breakout--light\">\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"tb-c-story-breakout__header tb-c-story-breakout__header--stat\"><em><strong>More than 20 -pages spreading Covid-19 or vaccine misinformation were &#8216;verified&#8217; by Facebook<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>The methods of monetisation vary from page to page \u2013 more than two dozen, including An0maly\u2019s, use Facebook-designed \u201ccreator\u201d or \u201cfundraiser\u201d tools to receive income directly from their Facebook audience. Hundreds more use the social network\u2019s shopping facilities to sell everything from t-shirts to tarot readings.<\/p>\n<p>More than 260 of the pages identified by the Bureau have posted misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine. The remainder include false information about the pandemic, vaccines more broadly, or some combination of the two. More than twenty of the pages identified by the Bureau have even been \u201cverified\u201d by Facebook, gaining a blue tick signaling authenticity.<\/p>\n<p>Organisations including the UN, the WHO and Unesco <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/23-09-2020-managing-the-covid-19-infodemic-promoting-healthy-behaviours-and-mitigating-the-harm-from-misinformation-and-disinformation\" >said in September<\/a> that online misinformation \u201ccontinues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic\u201d. Vaccine hesitancy is seen as a significant threat to efforts to return to some semblance of normality, with misinformation on social media cited as a key driver of anti-vaccine sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook told the Bureau: \u201cPages which repeatedly violate our community standards \u2013 including those which spread misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines \u2013 are prohibited from monetising on our platform. We are reviewing the pages shared with us and will take action against any that break our rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company has already closed down a small number of pages as a result of that review and said it had removed 12m pieces of Covid-19 misinformation between March and October, and placed fact-check warning labels on 167m other pieces of content.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Wellness gone viral<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_178413\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-178413\" class=\"wp-image-178413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid-1024x488.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid-1024x488.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid-768x366.png 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid-1536x732.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-178413\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The store of a page that has posted misinformation about vaccines, offering &#8216;healing&#8217; crystal pendants<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Veganize, a Portuguese-language page based in Brazil, appears to be aimed at those practising a plant-based diet with more than 129,000 followers. The page offers paid supporter subscriptions in exchange for a supporter badge.<\/p>\n<p>Its pinned post, dated August 30 2020, asks: \u201cIf you want the red pill click the link below and find out how much you\u2019ve been cheated your whole life!\u201d The link directs readers to a collection of files hosted on Google, repeating a broad range of conspiracy theories and misinformation about vaccines and the pandemic, including \u201cPlandemic\u201d, a pair of conspiracy-laden videos that briefly lit up the internet in May and August before social networks made strenuous efforts to remove them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Most of the rest of the page\u2019s recent posts feature memes and videos filled with misinformation about the coronavirus, the efficacy of measures such as masks and the safety of vaccines, including a video clip of the notorious conspiracy theorist David Icke.<\/p>\n<p>Health and wellness pages, like Veganize, form a substantial strand of those spreading misinformation, including those also selling products directly through Facebook. Among the more than 110 pages using virtual storefronts, introduced by Facebook in May, were wellness pages denigrating masks and vaccines while selling \u201cimmune-boosting\u201d supplements.<\/p>\n<p>One such wellness page is Earthley, which lists almost 100 products on its Facebook page, alongside regular false posts about vaccines, including discredited claims about links to autism.<\/p>\n<p>The brand, based in Columbus, Ohio, also sells cards customers can hand to \u201cfriends and family\u201d containing the false claim that aluminium in vaccines is tied to neurological damage, available in packs of 100 for $4.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Rising stars<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section tb-o-story-section--full-width tb-c-story-mbsc tb-js-story-mbsc\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-mbsc__media tb-js-object-fit\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_178415\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-178415\" class=\"wp-image-178415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2-1024x604.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2-1024x604.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2-768x453.png 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2-1536x905.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-178415\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of An0maly&#8217;s videos that was flagged by fact checkers as containing false information Facebook<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Facebook itself can profit from the popularity of brands and individuals who make it big through spreading misinformation. It takes a cut of 5-30% on its Stars currency, used by fans to tip creators streaming live video. The Bureau found two pages using Stars: An0maly and Sid Roth\u2019s It\u2019s Supernatural, a religious programme which has blamed the pandemic on abortion and featured guests describing a dream in which God showed them the virus being created in a Chinese lab. Between them, the pages have reached more than 2.6 million people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__sidebar\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-breakout tb-c-story-breakout--light\">\n<blockquote>\n<h3 class=\"tb-c-story-breakout__header\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Making Money on Facebook<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-breakout__body\">\n<blockquote><p><em><strong>Facebook Fan Subscriptions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Facebook launched fan subscriptions for a small number of \u201ccreators\u201d in the US and UK in 2018, before expanding the programme in mid 2020. It allows pages to charge a monthly fee for access to exclusive content such as live streams and other perks.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Facebook Stars<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Stars, introduced in 2018, is aimed primarily at gaming live streamers. Users can buy the virtual currency and send it to streamers by clicking a button in the comments box.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Facebook Shop<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>In May 2020 Facebook rolled out ecommerce tools, with product pages, virtual storefronts and boxes that can be placed on homepages.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Shop and Book buttons<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>These two options were introduced in late 2014 and are designed to drive sales for items and services, and can link out to any website.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Services<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Facebook introduced a tab for listing services on offer from a page around early 2016. The tool allows pages to list a service name, description and price under a dedicated section.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Fundraising<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Facebook introduced a donate button for non-profit organisations in late 2013, processing payments made by users to those organisations. In 2016 it extended the programme to allow individuals to fundraise on behalf of those organisations.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Facebook also briefly took up to 30% of fees paid by new supporters from January last year, but reversed this in August.<\/p>\n<p>Groups whose mission involves spreading information flagged by fact checkers as false have also used Facebook to fundraise. The Informed Consent Action Network, a US non-profit, is one of the most well-funded organisations in the US opposing vaccinations. This has not gone unnoticed by the big tech companies; Facebook and YouTube removed pages for Highwire, an online show run by ICAN founder Del Bigtree that made claims repeatedly rated as false by fact checkers, for which ICAN says it is suing the tech companies.<\/p>\n<p>Bigtree disputed the conclusions of the fact checks against ICAN and his show. Speaking to the Bureau, he said he was merely presenting \u201ccredible published science\u201d that contradicts the views of media organisations, global health bodies and scientists cited by fact checkers. He admitted that his statements could \u201cabsolutely\u201d put people\u2019s lives at risk if they were wrong, but said the same was true of the World Health Organization. \u201cI absolutely accept that people are going to make choices based on the information that they receive,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Bigtree disputed suggestions that his views represent a minority of scientific opinion, adding: \u201cI don\u2019t care about consensus even if there is one because consensus has never ever led to the evolution of science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said the removal of the Highwire Facebook page had impacted ICAN\u2019s ability to reach its audience and raise money. \u201cWe had over 300,000 followers. I\u2019m never sure which one of those donate \u2013 to, where or how, but any time your communication space is cut off certainly that can curtail your ability.\u201d He added that the organisation had a budget of about $3m, sourced entirely from donations.<\/p>\n<p>Despite removing the Highwire page, Facebook still allows ICAN to solicit donations and fundraisers from its more than 44,000 followers on a page that has had at least two posts flagged by fact checkers. According to its page, ICAN has raised almost \u00a324,000 since February 2020. Facebook must approve organisations signing up to raise funds and vaccine misinformation is explicitly cited as a reason that fundraising may be removed from an organisation.<\/p>\n<p>The page also directs its followers to its other fundraising channels. A January 17 post that includes a link to a list of five ways to financially support ICAN was shared almost 1,000 times.<\/p>\n<p>Claire Wardle, executive director of First Draft, a non-profit organisation fighting misinformation which contributed to the Bureau\u2019s research, believes that the money-making systems Facebook offers could encourage people to spread misinformation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>\u201cIt is human nature. We know one of the motivations is financial,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have started to believe these things\u2026 but then when you are in that circle, you also realise there is a way to make money, then you realise that the more you get hits the more money you are making \u2026 It\u2019s more than the dopamine hit, it\u2019s dopamine plus dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Facebook, offering ways to make money generally is probably a route to encouraging people to use its platform rather than its competitors\u2019, Wardle added.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Defund, debunk, delete<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-178416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/facebook-bureau-covid3.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section tb-o-story-section--full-width tb-c-story-mbsc tb-js-story-mbsc\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-mbsc__media tb-js-object-fit\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-mbsc__image\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>Facebook has the tools to regulate brands and pages spreading inaccurate information.<\/p>\n<p>In October, An0maly released a video saying he had been \u201cdemonetized\u201d by Facebook, losing his ability to sign up new supporters and accept Stars. His posts were being seen by fewer people. In the video and in response to questions via email he accused Facebook of \u201clying\u201d about the content he posted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__sidebar\">\n<blockquote>\n<aside class=\"tb-c-story-pullquote\"><em><strong>\u201cIt\u2019s more than the dopamine hit, it\u2019s dopamine plus dollars.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/aside>\n<aside class=\"tb-c-story-pullquote\"><strong>&#8212; Claire Wardle,<\/strong><strong> First Draft<\/strong><\/aside>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>\u201cFacebook demonetized my page, blocked me from using tools &amp; drastically cut my reach. I have the exact reasons why,\u201d he told the Bureau. \u201cFacebook libeled me (either bad AI scanning the title or just biased human staffer) and refuses to right their wrongs.\u201d He added: \u201cThey didn\u2019t even have a legitimate or viable example to share in regards to the demonetization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that he did not want this article to \u201csmear\u201d him or find an \u201cangle to make me look bad\u201d and tie him in with any \u201csloppy pages who recklessly just post nonsense. I don\u2019t do that\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Another page for French \u201calternative news\u201d site Planetes360, was keen to draw a distinction between its posts and other misinformation when one of its posts questioning the safety of vaccines was deleted. The site\u2019s editor and founder, Mickael Lelievre, told the Bureau: \u201cIt was deleted, under the pretext of medical disinformation \u2026 The big question is, do we still have the right to ask questions? \u2026 Of course, the people who say the vaccine is terrible, it will kill all of humanity, there will be so many dead, the governments want to kill everyone with this vaccine \u2013 I would tell them they\u2019re a bit crazy. But this video, the guy was just asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The UK government told the Bureau that Facebook needed to do more to tackle misinformation. \u201cMuch more must be done and they need to address the issues which have been raised,\u201d a spokeswoman said. She added that forthcoming online safety legislation would fine social media companies that did not take action.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"tb-c-story-media-caption\"><strong>Facebook has repeatedly flagged posts as false on pages using its monetisation tools<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-image tb-c-story-image--two-col\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageSmall\/Pfizer-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172058\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1400px) calc(.45 * 1400px), (min-width: 901px) 45vw, (min-width: 691px) calc(.6666 * 90vw), 90vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageLarge\/Pfizer-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172058 1260w, https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageSmall\/Pfizer-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172058 630w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-image tb-c-story-image--two-col\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"tb-c-story-media-caption\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-image tb-c-story-image--two-col\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageSmall\/faucci-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172054\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1400px) calc(.45 * 1400px), (min-width: 901px) 45vw, (min-width: 691px) calc(.6666 * 90vw), 90vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageLarge\/faucci-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172054 1260w, https:\/\/assets2.thebureauinvestigates.com\/uploads\/_storyImageSmall\/faucci-screenshot-facebook-misinformation.png?mtime=20210127172054 630w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>An0maly\u2019s suspension did not last long. By January, his money-making tools and extended audience reach had been reinstated \u2013 meaning, he said, that he was looking forward to getting a couple of hundred thousand views on his videos rather than the 10,000 or 20,000 they received while he was demonetized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__sidebar\">\n<blockquote>\n<aside class=\"tb-c-story-pullquote\"><em><strong>\u201cFacebook was huge for me. And more importantly than all of that is the reach.\u201d <\/strong><\/em><\/aside>\n<aside class=\"tb-c-story-pullquote\"><strong>&#8212; An0maly<\/strong><\/aside>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p>In a video he said: \u201cThey gave me back my Stars, which is huge, that was a huge source of revenue. They gave me back my ad revenue, huge, they gave me back fan subscriptions \u2026 So I am pretty pumped about that. That\u2019s definitely a good way to start my new year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFacebook was huge for me. And more importantly than all of that is the reach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three days later, he <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/124411634236128\/videos\/450916419412119\" >released a video<\/a> suggesting that the strain on hospital capacity caused by the pandemic was exaggerated. The next day he posted <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/An0malyMusic\/videos\/855567515233674\" >about his latest venture<\/a>, an online shop selling everything from jewellery to food, provided it was US-made.<\/p>\n<p>He did not respond to further requests for comment after his reinstatement.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the crisis, he had been keen to give back to his audience. The video in which he wondered if hundreds of CEOs had advance warnings of the pandemic ended on an altruistic note, asking followers who were struggling with money to ask him for help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve already helped out multiple families that told me they couldn\u2019t buy groceries or diapers, and I\u2019ll continue to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been successful enough with my videos to make enough to have money for myself and at this point it\u2019s really just numbers on a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-box-out\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section\">\n<div class=\"tb-o-story-section__body\">\n<div class=\"tb-c-story-text-block\">\n<p><em>Desk Editor: James Ball<br \/>\nInvestigations Editor: Meirion Jones<br \/>\nProduction Editor: Frankie Goodway<br \/>\nFact Checker: Alice Milliken<br \/>\nIllustrator: Isabelle Cardinal<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tb-c-story-author__name\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Jasper Jackson, investigative reporter<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Alexandra Heal is an award-winning investigative reporter specialising in the environment and policing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Copyright \u00a9 2021 <\/em>The Bureau of Investigative Journalism<em>, All rights reserved<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebureauinvestigates.com\/stories\/2021-01-31\/misinformation-market-the-money-making-tools-facebook-hands-to-covid-cranks\" >Go to Original &#8211; thebureauinvestigates.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>31 Jan 2021 &#8211; Hundreds of Facebook pages have been making money using the social network&#8217;s tools while spreading misinformation about Coronavirus on social media. But so long as you keep using its platform, Facebook doesn\u2019t seem to care. The video opens with a question: \u201cCould this be bio-terrorism?\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":178410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[232,1829,550,1868,1563,1007,1864,921],"class_list":["post-178408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exposures","tag-capitalism","tag-coronavirus","tag-corruption","tag-covid-19","tag-expose","tag-facebook","tag-pandemic","tag-whistleblowing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284846,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178408\/revisions\/284846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}