COVID-19 INQUIRY: Home Affairs Referred 4,700 Social Media Posts Over ‘Misinformation’

Arriving passengers talk with a WA Police Officer at the Perth Domestic Airport on March 3, 2022 in Perth, Australia. Paul Kane/Getty Images

The Australian Department of Home Affairs referred thousands of social media posts for review during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The revelation is one of many contained in 2,000 submissions to the federal government’s COVID-19 Response Inquiry.

More than 4,700 posts on social media were referred to the digital industry, and more than 3,000 of these were removed.

“During the pandemic, the department monitored social media content for harmful misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and referred content to digital industry for review, based on criteria and advice from [the Health Department],” Home Affairs said in a section titled COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation (pdf).

“Between 16 March 2020 and 19 May 2023, 4,726 social media posts were referred to digital industry for review against their content policies and terms of service, of these, 3,098 were actioned by the relevant social media company with content removed or its distribution reduced.”

The department highlighted the Australian government provided $62.8 million (US$40.76 million) over five years to “strengthen Australia’s social cohesion and community resilience” in the COVID-19 recovery period as part of the 2020 and 2021 budget.

This included $37.3 million over a four-year time frame to “promote Australian values, identity, and social cohesion, and to counter malign information.”

“The contract supporting the COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation referrals expired on 30 June 2023 and was not renewed, and the Department no longer undertakes this function,” Home Affairs said.

Home Affairs praised Australia’s border controls for helping to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic “shock” by delaying the transfer of the virus.

“In doing so, border management proved to be a key component of Australia’s national response in keeping the public safe from the early–and arguably most severe–phases and impacts of the pandemic,” the Department said.

The Department noted there were 14 health determinations related to international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All Levels of Government Should Combat ‘Misinformation’: SA

South Australian authorities called for every level of government to work together to stop “misinformation” given the influence of social media in the future.

In its submission, the government said the long duration of the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges with “combatting misinformation and disinformation.”

“All levels of government should also work together to jointly combat the spread of misinformation which became prevalent during the pandemic, particularly given the reach and pervasiveness of social media, and to ensure that government websites and other key communication channels provide timely, up to date information to mitigate public confusion and concern,” the state government said (pdf).

“Building community trust through clear messaging delivered with consistency and supported by the appropriate expertise and evidence was an important element of the response.”

The federal Australian COVID-19 inquiry is chaired by Robyn Kruk and includes panel members Catherine Burnett and Dr. Angela Jackson.

Submissions have been received from multiple federal departments, along with corporations, political parties, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies, and universities.

“We have been overwhelmed by the openness and willingness of the more than 2,000 people and organisations who have taken the time to share their insights and experiences,” the panel said.

“There was a common theme in the submissions of wanting to capture the lessons learned, before they were lost to the passage of time. Four years on since the start of the pandemic, as a panel, we share that sense of importance and urgency to better prepare for a future event.”