MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2020) Facebook will be removing posts containing misinformation regarding the wildfires in Oregon, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said.
"We are removing false claims that the wildfires in Oregon were started by certain groups. This is based on confirmation from law enforcement that these rumors are forcing local fire and police agencies to divert resources from fighting the fires and protecting the public," Stone said on Twitter on Saturday, adding that the move "is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on."
On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Portland said in a statement that they had investigated reports of extremists being behind some wildfires in Oregon and have found such reports to be untrue.
Tens of thousands of people in California, Oregon and Washington have been forced to evacuate amid the raging wildfires. In Oregon, the death toll from the fires currently stands at eight. More than 500,000 Oregon residents have been forced to evacuate.
