Google, Facebook and Microsoft Remove Millions Of False Covid Posts: Report

A new European Union Report shows Microsoft Corp MSFT, Alphabet Inc GOOGL, and Meta Platforms Inc FB removed millions of ads and posts in September and October due to false COVID-19 information.

What Happened: The European Commission's code of practice requires the tech giants to report how many pieces of content are being removed every month over misinformation regarding COVID-19.

"On Microsoft Advertising, the number of ads violating the Covid ads policies blocked from reaching EU users reached 435,922 in September, and 909,713 in October," the commission said.

Google, meanwhile, took action against more than 19,000 web addresses in September and October.

Facebook removed more than 120,000 pieces of content in the EU for violating COVID-19 and vaccines misinformation on both Facebook and Instagram. In October, that number increased to 140,000, the commission said.

Other Companies Taking Action: The commission says Twitter Inc TWTR suspended 254 accounts in September and 819 accounts in October due to COVID-19 misinformation. The company also removed 4,544 pieces of content globally in September, and 3,574 globally in October.

Meanwhile, Chinese platform TikTok removed 686 videos for violating its terms of service related to COVID-19 in September and 584 videos in October, the Commission said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently said the world is in "race against time" with the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally. Over 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of the new variant. The European Union's public health agency said on Thursday that the Omicron variant could be responsible for more than half of all COVID-19 infections in Europe within a few months.

Related Link: Biden's New COVID-19 Plan Includes Reimbursement For Over The Counter, At-Home COVID Tests