Name: Pressure mounts on Facebook and Google to stop anti-vax conspiracy theories
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Pressure mounts on Facebook and Google to stop anti-vax conspiracy theories

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Filed under:‘Repetition of information, even if false, can often be mistaken for accuracy.’As a measles outbreak in Washington state, Facebook is “exploring additional measures” to fight false anti-vaccine content on the platform, .The news comes on the heels of criticism from , who sent Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about vaccine misinformation on Facebook and Instagram today. In the letter, , Schiff voiced concerns that both Facebook and Instagram serve up misleading, fear-mongering content about vaccines, which have been shown to be . Schiff also sent to Google’s Sundar Pichai about vaccine misinformation on YouTube.In the letters, Schiff wrote that the misinformation on these platforms could make parents ignore legitimate medical advice to vaccinate their children. “Repetition of information, even if false, can often be mistaken for accuracy,” he wrote. He referenced , who discovered that both Facebook and YouTube are full of fear-mongering, inaccurate anti-vaccine propaganda. What’s more, , YouTube’s recommendation algorithm helped lead people to those lies.Schiff for its recent move recommendations for videos “that could misinform users in harmful ways,” which will include certain anti-vaccine videos. (Google declined to comment on the record to The Verge.) In July, that it will also link viewers to outside information “alongside videos on a small number of well-established historical and scientific topics that have often been subject to misinformation.” For example, YouTube links people to a Wikipedia page when on the platform. , however, that anti-vaccination videos still rise to the top of YouTube’s search results for “vaccines.”RelatedIn response to an inquiry about Schiff’s letter, a Facebook spokesperson told The Verge in an email: “We remove content that violates our Community Standards, downrank articles that might be misleading, and show third-party fact-checker articles to provide people with more context.” The company is “committed to accurate and useful information,” the spokesperson said. “We have more to do, and will continue efforts to provide educational information on important topics like health.”The spokesperson did not immediately respond to a follow-up question asking for clarification about what those efforts might be. But a Facebook spokesperson told “reducing or removing this type of content from recommendations, including Groups You Should Join, and demoting it in search results, while also ensuring that higher quality and more authoritative information is available.”In his letters, Schiff also asked both Google and Facebook heads for information about whether they’ve accepted money for anti-vaccine advertisements. , anti-vaccine ads on Facebook have targeted demographics “most likely to include mothers,” including in Washington state where there is an ongoing measles outbreak. (Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the allegation.)Vaccine misinformation is dangerous to more than just the kids whose parents voluntarily leave them unvaccinated — it’s dangerous to the community at large because it can encourage the spread of preventable, potentially deadly diseases like measles. While measles is known for causing a rash and a fever, the incredibly contagious virus can also . People who aren’t able to receive the measles vaccine — including children — to keep the virus at bay.That’s why measles flare-ups like the one in Clark County, Washington, are so worrying, , dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, . “[Parents] have to live in fear of walking out with their infant into Walmart, or the public library.”Subscribe to get the best Verge-approved tech deals of the week.

Filed under:‘Repetition of information, even if false, can often be mistaken for accuracy.’As a measles outbreak in Washington state, Facebook is “exploring additional measures” to fight false anti-vaccine content on the platform, .The news comes on the heels of criticism from , who sent Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about vaccine misinformation on Facebook and Instagram today. In the letter, , Schiff voiced concerns that both Facebook and Instagram serve up misleading, fear-mongering content about vaccines, which have been shown to be . Schiff also sent to Google’s Sundar Pichai about...

Pressure mounts on Facebook and Google to stop anti-vax conspiracy theories

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