Heavy smoke obscures the Fremont Bridge on September 12 in Portland, Oregon | Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Facebook will remove from its platform false claims that the wildfires in Oregon were deliberately started by certain groups, according to policy communications director Andy Stone. The decision is consistent with Facebook’s efforts “to remove content that could lead to imminent harm,” Stone said on Twitter Saturday, adding that the platform was taking the action following confirmation from law enforcement that the rumors were “forcing local fire and police agencies to divert resources from fighting the fires and protecting the public,” Stone tweeted. He did not indicate how many posts or accounts would be affected.
This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to…