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FAcebook says it could stop recommending anti-vaccine material on the social network, bowing to public pressure to remove false and dangerous information on public health.
The technology giant "is exploring new measures to better fight the problem," a Bloomberg spokeswoman said.
The website is flooded with publications and groups on "anti-vaxxers", people who spread false information about the side effects of vaccination and who promote unsubstantiated alternatives such as vitamin C. Groups gain ground thanks to social media sites such as Facebook. and YouTube's recommendation algorithm, which promotes their content in the news feed or users' video playlist.
Medical experts warned that parents were failing more and more in vaccinating children because of inaccurate information read on social media.
Adam Schiff, chairman of the Democratic Committee and California Intelligence, sent an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, asking him to take responsibility for the alarmist remarks on the website, which could lead parents to think twice before starting. To immunize their children from harmful diseases.
"The World Health Organization has listed vaccine hesitancy, reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – one of the biggest threats to global health in 2019," he wrote. .
He added that there was "solid evidence" to suggest that the source was Instagram and Facebook, where medically inaccurate information about vaccines can be found and where many people get their news and information.
Google recently announced that it would attempt to remove videos based on conspiracy theories on its video platform, YouTube.
A study published in 2017 by Ayelet Evrony and Arthur Caplan warned that "organized anti-vaccination groups have contributed to the drop in vaccine compliance and concerns about vaccination.
"These groups often have a strong presence on social media and well-developed websites that draw people to their cause. But these sites have attracted very little critical attention. In order to combat declining vaccination rates, it is important for those who support vaccination to know, review and fight the claims of these groups. "
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