Facebook announces new policies to reduce the visibility of vaccine misinformation on its platform, including rejecting advertising and excluding groups and pages from search results that spread “vaccine hoaxes.”
Much of the pressure on platforms from Capitol Hill came by way of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., whoto Facebook, Google and Amazon expressing concern for the public health danger posed by the anti-vaccine content on their platforms.
“I’m pleased that all three companies are taking this issue seriously and acknowledged their responsibility to provide quality health information to their users.” Schiff said in a statement following Facebook's post.
Facebook’s actions add to a series of moves by other tech companies to address vaccine misinformation on their platforms. Pinterest has been blocking all vaccine-related search results since December. YouTube removed ads from videos containing anti-vaccination content last month.
The prevalence of such misinformation correlated with an increasing number of parents delaying or outright rejecting vaccines, leading to an uptick of vaccine-preventable diseases. A current measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest has infected 71 people — mostly unvaccinated children.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Facebook to target vaccine misinformation with focus on pages, groups, adsFacebook will soon take aim against anti-vaxers. The company will start by lowering the ranking of groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations in its News Feed and Search options, a representative said.
Read more »
Facebook attempts to combat 'vaccine misinformation' and 'hoaxes' on its platformsNEW: Facebook says it will attempt to combat 'vaccine misinformation' and 'hoaxes' on its platforms.
Read more »
Facebook looks to stem the spread of anti-vaccine misinformationFacebook says it will reduce distribution and provide users with 'authoritative information' on the topic, following the lead of Pinterest.
Read more »
Ohio vaccine teen: Need vaccination 'education' to combat 'misinformation'Ethan Lindenberger, the Ohio teen who received all of shots despite his mother being anti-vaccine, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to speak about the dangers of misinformation and the need for education surrounding vaccinations.
Read more »
Teen who vaccinated himself says anti-vaxx Mom gets misinformation from FacebookEthan Lindenberger, 18, says his mother often cites social media groups to refute health officials. 'That’s what they want you to think,' she says.
Read more »
Teen who vaccinated himself says anti-vaxx Mom gets misinformation from FacebookEthan Lindenberger, 18, says his mother often cites social media groups to refute health officials. 'That’s what they want you to think,' she says.
Read more »