Tag: anti-vaccine

Facebook Bans Anti-Vaccine Ads, But Not Organic Misinformation

Facebook will ban anti-vaccine ads in an effort to combat misinformation and support public health experts, the social media platform announced in a statement on Tuesday. Axios reports: The company now says it doesn’t want these ads on its platform, but the policy does not apply to influencers who experts say drive a significant amount of organic misinformation about vaccines. “Our…

26% of US Adults Get Their News From YouTube, Study Finds

In a study the Pew Research Center released today, 26% of U.S. adults said they now get their news from YouTube. That includes 23% via videos posted by news organizations and 23% from independent YouTube channels. Researchers surveyed 12,638 U.S. adults for the report. VentureBeat reports: “The study finds a news landscape on YouTube in which established news organizations and independent…

The 41 Books Mark Zuckerberg Has Recommended on Facebook

Last week Slashdot featured “the 61 books Elon Musk has recommended on Twitter,” as compiled by a slick web site (with Amazon referrer codes) called “Most Recommended Books.” But the same site has also created a page of books recommended by Mark Zuckerbeg. Zuckerberg’s list includes books by Peter Thiel (Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the…

Bill Gates Has a Message For Conspiracy Theorists

In an interview with CNN, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates responded to his prominence in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories that have spread online: CNN: There are 16,000 Facebook posts espousing conspiracy theories about you and the virus… They’re liked or commented on 900,000 times. On YouTube the top 10 videos that spread lies about you had almost 5 million views. It’s also pointed…

Despite Promises, Facebook’s Instagram Is Still Spreading Anti-Vaccine Disinformation

“It’s been almost a year since Instagram pledged to reduce the spread of vaccine-related misinformation on its platform. But today, it continues to do the exact opposite,” reports the Huffington Post: When HuffPost created a new Instagram account and searched for the term “vaccines” on Saturday, almost all of the top results were anti-vax pages… At the very top was a…

40% of Anti-Vaccine Group’s Funding Came From Wealthy ‘Alternative Health’ Vendor

An anonymous reader quotes the Washington Post: The nation’s oldest anti-vaccine advocacy group often emphasizes that it is supported primarily by small donations and concerned parents, describing its founder as the leader of a “national, grass roots movement.” But over the past decade a single donor has contributed more than $2.9 million to the National Vaccine Information Center, accounting for about…

Facebook Downgrades Posts That Promote Miracle Cures

Facebook said on Tuesday that it’s downgrading content that makes dubious health claims, including posts that try to sell or promote “miracle cures.” From a report: Big technology platforms have faced growing criticism over the spread of fake or misleading content. Reports emerged last year that Facebook had been featuring homemade cancer “cures” more prominently than genuine information from renowned organizations,…

Russian Trolls Fueled Anti-Vaccination Debate On Twitter, Study Finds

“Russian Twitter trolls have attempted to fuel the anti-vaccination debate in the U.S.,” reports CBS News, citing a study from George Washington University. Bots are reportedly sharing opinions from both sides of the debate to stir up controversy The Daily Dot reports:
The study further warns that the spread of anti-vaccine misinformation by “accounts masquerading as legitimate users” erodes the public consensus…