Published 20:12 IST, September 13th 2020
Facebook to remove rumours that Oregon wildfires were started by 'extremists'
Facebook said that it is removing false claims made by followers of certain right-wing groups on social media that Oregon wildfires were started by extremists.
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Facebook on September 13 said that it is removing "false claims" made by followers of certain right-wing groups on social media that Oregon wildfires were started by extremists belonging to the left. Facebook's policy communications director Andy Stone took to Twitter on Sunday saying that the social media giant was removing rumours from its platform based on confirmation from law enforcement agencies. Andy said that these rumours are forcing local fire and police agencies to divert resources from fighting the wildfires and protecting the public.
We are removing false claims that the wildfires in Oregon were started by certain groups. This is based on confirmation from law enforcement that these rumors are forcing local fire and police agencies to divert resources from fighting the fires and protecting the public. (1/2)
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) September 12, 2020
This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on. (2/2)
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) September 12, 2020
This comes a day after the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Portland division on September 11 clarified that the reports it had received that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. "Conspiracy theories and misinformation take valuable resources away from local fire and police agencies working around the clock to bring these fires under control. Please help our entire community by only sharing validated information from official sources," the FBI had said on Twitter.
Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. Help us stop the spread of misinformation by only sharing information from trusted, official sources. pic.twitter.com/ENc4c3kjep
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 11, 2020
As per reports, supporters of QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory, were behind the recent spread of misinformation that "left-wing extremists", particularly belonging to the anti-fascist group Antifa, started fires in Oregon. Douglas County police in a statement on Facebook said that they have been overwhelmed with calls about rumours that members of Antifa have been arrested for starting fires.
Wildfires in the US
Meanwhile, the United States is battling its worst wildfire season along with a deadly pandemic, as millions of people across three Western states remain under evacuation alerts. Thousands of homes have been torched by these wildfires as they raged through small communities destroying properties and lives. So far 24 people have been killed by wildfires since they erupted in August. Currently, there are about 100 wildfires burning in Oregon, California, and Washington.
20:12 IST, September 13th 2020