During the pandemic, we’ve seen many people discussing topics such as COVID-19 and vaccines, including public figures and creators. Many Australians are accessing credible and authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines via tools such as Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Centre. Given that creators may also have high reach and engagement, we want to support creators who want to share and amplify credible and authoritative information.

To help ensure we provide creators with tools and resources to spot and prevent them from sharing misinformation, today, we are proud to announce that Facebook Australia is partnering with the misinformation prevention coalition First Draft on a new local campaign to address the spread of misinformation by digital creators.

The Don’t Be A Mis-Influencer campaign provides creators, celebrities, and other high-profile accounts with a ‘Protect Your Voice’ toolkit, offering tailored resources and instructive guides to help identify misinformation and prevent its spread.

We understand people follow a range of information sources and may receive information from creators. We’re constantly working to ensure credible information is promoted on our platforms, and creators can play a role in this too.

With the support of our targeted advertising and extensive partner relationships, the resources will be shared directly with Australian creators to reference when posting content. Creators will also be invited to post top tips from the toolkit to encourage followers not to post misinformation and help educate them on how best to counter it.

We know from listening to our community that they have been spending more time online since the pandemic began, not only to connect with family and friends but to seek entertainment and inspiration from creators. During this time, we know people are going to a range of information sources to get information, and many rely on creators as one channel for their information.

At Facebook, we’re consistently working to ensure credible information is promoted on our platforms, and creators can play a role in this too. That’s why we’ve supported First Draft to develop this toolkit, giving creators the tools to prevent the spread of misinformation on their own accounts, and to help amplify that message to their followers.

Available now on the campaign site, the ‘Protect Your Voice’ toolkit provides creators with guidance and practical steps about:

• Why people spread misinformation
• How to talk to, or avoid, conversations about conspiracy theories
• The types of deceptive content to look out for
• How to verify the authenticity of content
• How to combat misinformation.

We are also delighted that influencer Abbie Chatfield is one of the first creators to share the campaign.

First Draft and Facebook recognise that for creators, engaging their audience on the topic of misinformation can be challenging. We will actively work with influencers to gather feedback and suggestions from them in countering and eliminating misinformation on their platforms.

For more information or to download the toolkit visit, First Drafts Don’t Be A Mis-Influencer website.