- Israel government has assured its citizens that Facebook will be clamping down on anti-vaccine 'fake news'.
- This includes disseminated texts, photographs and videos that is designed to mislead people about coronavirus vaccines.
- Officials also highlighted that the country has ordered enough vaccines to protect the most vulnerable 20% of the population.
Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel against coronavirus vaccinations as the government seeks to drum up support for the programme, the Justice Ministry said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday became the first person to be vaccinated in Israel. Opinion polls show some two-thirds of the public want to follow suit.
The Justice Ministry said that, at its request, Facebook took down four groups at the weekend that had disseminated texts, photographs and videos with "deliberately mendacious content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines".
Such "fake news" included arguments that vaccines would be used to plant government tracking chips in recipients' bodies, to poison them and thus cull the population or to subject them to medical experimentation, the ministry said in a statement.
READ | Google has launched Covid-19 information panels to tackle misinformation about vaccines
Israeli officials say the country has enough vaccines on order by year's end to protect the most vulnerable 20% of the population and then lift some coronavirus curbs, but worry that turnout might be dampened if people get false information about the innoculations.
Israel began administering vaccines to medical staff on Sunday. At Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, dozens of doctors and nurses danced as they prepared to receive their injections.
Next in line are elderly Israelis or those in high-risk groups. The wider adult population is slated to get shots in early 2021.
With a population of 9 million, Israel has logged 373 368 coronavirus cases and 3 074 deaths. It has imposed two national lockdowns and is mulling new curbs on high-contagion areas.
Do you want to know more about this topic? Sign up for one of News24's 33 newsletters to receive the information you want in your inbox. Special newsletters are available to subscribers.
