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Four of the top 10 search results for “vaccine” on Facebook owned by Instagram were for anti-vaccination accounts, including “vaccinetruth,” “vaccinefreedom,” “antivaxxknowthefacts,” and “cv19vaccinereactions,” according to a series of research conducted by CNN Company from of several different Instagram handles over the past two weeks.
Shortly after, Instagram updated its search interface on mobile devices to feature three credible results, including the CDC account, followed by a “See more results” prompt. Users who click on this option then see a number of anti-vaccination accounts, in what is arguably the digital equivalent of pushing a mess into a room under the bed.
Some of these accounts have amassed significant followings, raising the question whether Instagram suggesting them as a primary result for users simply looking for vaccine information has helped them grow their following. The “cv19vaccinereactions” account, devoted to documenting allegations of adverse reactions to the vaccine, has more than 77,000 subscribers. The account often shares unsubstantiated reports and hints at unproven links between people receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and major health events, including a stroke or miscarriage.
The fact that some of this anti-vaxx content continues to hide in plain sight from platforms highlights a controversial distinction in Facebook’s approach: a company spokesperson says Facebook distinguishes between misinformation about vaccines in particular, which it is rampant against, and posts that express more general anti-vaccine sentiment, which it allows on the platform.
Public health experts have said they fear misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines and general anti-vaccination content on social media could lead people to refuse to be vaccinated. “If they are scared of the lies perpetuated by social media, we will have a real problem coming out of this pandemic,” said Dr LJ Tan, director of strategy for the Action Coalition for Immunization (IAC ).
Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson, said the company is working to “reduce the number of people who see false information” about vaccines and that it is trying to do “more to address other content from misleading vaccines that do not fall under these policies. “
Osborne added that the company is removing claims about the Covid-19 vaccine that have been debunked by public health experts and adding labels and reducing the distribution of other misinformation deemed false by its third-party fact-checking partners.
When searching for the word ‘vaccine’ on Facebook groups last week, three of the platform’s top 20 results led to groups promoting anti-vaccine content, including groups called ‘Say No Covid. 19 Vaccine ”,“ COVID-19 Vaccine Injury Stories ”and“ Vaccine Talk: A Forum for both Pro and Anti Vaxxers ”- which has over 50,000 members. The list fluctuates. A few days later, neither of those groups made it into the top 20, but results 18-20 indicated groups discussing vaccine side effects or adverse effects. Scrolling down further, it was easy to find other anti-vaxxer groups in the search results, including the one titled “Unvaccinated and Thriving,” which makes claims that are widely and consistently denied in its description linking vaccines to autism and other disorders and diseases. It’s unclear what fuels Facebook’s search recommendations and why the results are changing from day to day. Facebook failed to provide a clear explanation after repeated requests for comment.
Dr Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, called vaccine misinformation on social media “very dangerous” and said it could have “disastrous consequences”.
“We are in a race against the virus,” she said. “We need everyone who is eligible for vaccines to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
“A story doesn’t have to be accurate to change your mind. That’s what we’re up against right now,” said Tan, of the IAC. “In the age of the Internet, science is not the most compelling story.”
Columbia’s El-Sadr warned people to be wary of any anecdotes or individual stories they read in these Facebook groups – which may or may not be true or have anything to do with the vaccine.
“The vast majority of people so far have been vaccinated without incident,” she said. “We have to keep reminding people of this. These vaccines have a very safe profile and are incredibly effective.”
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