Meta is partnering with international misinformation prevention coalition First Draft on a New Zealand campaign to address the spread of misinformation by digital creators.

Launching today across Facebook and Instagram, the Don’t Be A Mis-Influencer campaign provides Kiwi creators, celebrities and other high-profile accounts with ‘Protect Your Voice’ toolkits, offering resources and instructive guides to help identify and prevent the spread of misinformation.

Content creator David Letele AKA Buttabean Motivation (@buttabean_motivation) is one of the first creators to share the campaign on his Instagram today.

Creators are also being 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.

David Letele, content creator, says, “People trust us and that creates a responsibility for creators, especially those with a large following. We must make sure that COVID-related information is accurate before sharing it, or we risk providing potentially harmful or misleading information to our followers and their loved ones.”

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

• 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

Anne Kruger, Director of First Draft Australia, said “Audiences trust the messages of the influencers and creators they follow. It’s hard to make sense from the influx of online information - and mistakes can happen. Unfortunately, this means misinformation can be shared to thousands and sometimes millions of fans in just a moment. Influencers are also a prime target for those trying to spread disinformation in order to amplify their false stories. Social media celebrities can unwittingly be used as a powerful vector in promoting false information and conspiracy theories. In both scenarios we want celebrities to protect their voice and think about whether they may be unwittingly ‘mis-influencing’ their audiences.”

Nick McDonnell, Head of Public Policy for Meta in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, says “With Kiwis spending more time using social media over lockdown to connect with friends and whānau, play games, work, study and to follow their favourite creators and groups, we know that people are also accessing a range of information sources whilst online. We are always working to ensure that credible information is promoted and creators can play a role in this too. That’s why we’ve created this toolkit in partnership with First Draft, giving creators the tools to prevent the spread of misinformation on their own accounts, and to help amplify that message to their followers.”

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

This announcement today follows a list of changes to policies, new tools and other measures Meta has launched in New Zealand since the start of the pandemic. To learn more about how Meta is supporting COVID-19 relief efforts and keeping people informed, visit our COVID-19 action page.

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