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Anti-Vax Groups Still Thrive on Facebook, Despite Content Ban
Tens of thousands of Facebook users participate in groups that spread misinfo about vaccines — some with an odd religious bent
A month after Facebook said it would expand efforts to scrub its platforms of vaccine misinformation, false narratives about the Covid-19 vaccine are still flourishing in public and private Facebook communities.
OneZero found dozens of anti-vax groups, public and private, some of which have tens of thousands of users. The sheer abundance of anti-vax material in Facebook groups suggests that the company’s current tools and strategies aren’t enough to tackle even surface-level vaccine misinformation.
Facebook has not released a progress update since its blog post last month, and it did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a group called “Covid-19 vaccine adverse reaction testimonials,” one member bizarrely accused the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca of “facilitating Satanic ritual.”
Facebook’s renewed pledge to eradicate vaccine hoaxes and misinformation was informed by a January ruling from the company’s…
