Clicky

Facebook to redirect searches about vaccines to CDC and WHO information

The pop-out window also appears whenever a user visits vaccine-related Facebook groups or pages, or even when a user taps on vaccine-related hashtags on Instagram.

Tired of censorship and surveillance?

Defend free speech and individual liberty online. Push back against Big Tech and media gatekeepers. Subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

As a way of addressing the spread of what it says is anti-vaccine misinformation, Facebook has just rolled out a new feature on both Facebook and Instagram. A pop-out window will appear whenever a user conducts a search related to vaccines and other related information.

Aside from searching, the pop-out window also appears whenever a user visits vaccine-related Facebook groups or pages, or even when a user taps on vaccine-related hashtags on Instagram.

The pop-up windows will direct the user to what Facebook has decided is a credible source of information such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the user is outside the United States, the pop-out window will connect the user to the website of the World Health Organization instead.

Responding to the anti-vaccine misinformation campaign of Facebook, the CDC couldn’t help but praised the tech company for doing so. According to CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund, it is hard to determine what is accurate and credible online. “We know that parents often turn to social media to access health information and connect with other parents, and it can be difficult to determine what is accurate and who the credible sources of information are,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in an email on Wednesday.

Last week, reported that Pinterest also made a similar move – showing information from health organizations when users seek vaccine-related content.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

Tired of censorship and surveillance?

Defend free speech and individual liberty online. Push back against Big Tech and media gatekeepers. Subscribe to Reclaim The Net.

Read more

Share