In a statement yesterday Facebook said it’s considering the removal of anti-vaxxer misinformation (via Business Insider).
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Anti-Vaxxer
There’s been growing backlash against the anti-vaxxer movement due to a measles outbreak in Oregon. It’s safe to say the outbreak is a direct correlation since vaccines help prevent these diseases.
Advertisements on Facebook promoted by anti-vaxxer organizations have been specifically targeting pregnant women. Popular parenting groups on Facebook are also a source for misinformation on vaccines. A Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider:
We are committed to accurate and useful information throughout Facebook. We remove content that violates our Community Standards, down-rank articles that might be misleading, and show third-party fact-checker articles to provide people with more context. We have more to do, and will continue efforts to provide educational information on important topics like health.
It’s unknown when Facebook plans to remove content or if that process has already begun.
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Andrew:
I started to respond with a lengthier reply a few days ago, but work keeps me occupied. Suffice it to say, this is potentially a good move, so long as FB actually follow through. Information campaigns designed to delegitimise evidence-based and proven interventions of high public health importance should be seen as part of the same threat matrix as campaigns designed to manipulate voter behaviour, instigate fear or advocate hatred and violence against specific groups. The impact, in terms of lives lost, can be far higher than some of the more notorious terrorist attacks if vaccination rates, and therefore herd immunity, fall below a certain level, as we’ve seen in Madagascar.