The Fact Check team of Agence France – Presse (AFP) noted an explosion of misinformation about untested cosmetic products and quick-fix treatments for chronic illnesses on social media platforms, particularly during the pandemic.
And because Filipinos rank among the world’s heaviest users of social media, many of the country’s 76 million internet users have sought remedies online because it is cheaper and easier to access there.
Majority of the bogus and harmful medical posts appear as free posts or paid advertisements on Facebook, the most popular social media site among Filipinos. These can circulate for weeks or even months without detection as Facebook struggles to keep up with the torrent of misinformation flooding the platform.
Many of the products are promoted in videos that have been doctored to make it look like real medical professionals are endorsing them. Others appear in falsified news reports, while some are touted by vloggers or influencers.
While there is no vetting of posts before they go live, Facebook has a multistage, largely automated review system to check ads before they are published.
AFP fact checkers have debunked dozens of claims, including a manipulated Philippine news report that appeared to promote a herbal supplement for diabetics as an alternative to insulin, which attracted more than 3 million views, shared more than 7,000 times, and had almost 10,000 comments, many from potential customers.
The consequences of using unapproved treatments can be dire.
The World Health Organization told AFP that “inappropriate promotion and advertisements” for unregistered medical products had long been a global problem and the pandemic may have made it worse.
Filipinos are particularly vulnerable to false or misleading health claims due to a shortage of doctors in the country and their heavy internet usage, said Eleanor Castillo, a public health expert at the University of the Philippines.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has said it was working with Philippine law enforcement “to address” illegal commercial listings.
The bogus and harmful posts on social media that has benefited unscrupulous politicos are now hitting closer to home, with the fake cosmetic products and quick-fix medical treatments that have already harmed gullible Filipinos. Despite Facebook and government seemingly working together to rid the platform of such threats, all stakeholders will still have to work together if we are to rid society of these growing threats.*
