Facebook cracks down on vaccine misinformation
In a blog post, the Menlo Park, Calif. company said it will reject any ads containing misinformation about vaccines, remove any targeted advertising options like 'vaccine controversies,' and will no longer show or recommend content containing this type of misinformation on Instagram Explore or hashtag pages."
Submitted via IRC for FatPhil
Combatting Vaccine Misinformation
We are working to tackle vaccine misinformation on Facebook by reducing its distribution and providing people with authoritative information on the topic.
[...] Leading global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have publicly identified verifiable vaccine hoaxes. If these vaccine hoaxes appear on Facebook, we will take action against them.
For example, if a group or Page admin posts this vaccine misinformation, we will exclude the entire group or Page from recommendations, reduce these groups and Pages’ distribution in News Feed and Search, and reject ads with this misinformation.
We also believe in providing people with additional context so they can decide whether to read, share, or engage in conversations about information they see on Facebook. We are exploring ways to give people more accurate information from expert organizations about vaccines at the top of results for related searches, on Pages discussing the topic, and on invitations to join groups about the topic. We will have an update on this soon.
We are fully committed to the safety of our community and will continue to expand on this work.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday March 14 2019, @02:05PM (15 children)
It can if you get medical advice from your doctor rather than facebook. If you do it the other way around you kind of deserve your darwin award.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @02:29PM
Some doctors repeat this myth too.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @02:31PM (2 children)
That's kind of the problem, as by the time we find out who the morons are, they've already procreated.
A better rationale for 65-90th trimester abortions I've never heard.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @02:34PM (1 child)
Typically it is the people who go around calling everyone else idiots/morons who repeat the myth mentioned above... Those are the most damaging people out there when it comes to vaccines and they outnumber "anti-vaxxers" like 10 to 1.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @04:13PM
So does that mean you are or are not in favor of 65-90th trimester abortions?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Thursday March 14 2019, @03:42PM (3 children)
The nature of the problem is that anti-vax types are giving their kid(s), and/or other people, the Darwin award as well.
I'm right there with you when a person's choice results in their demise, disability, or damage. When it results in the same for others who have not consented, now I have a pretty serious problem with it — it's not evolution, it's enemy action.
In the overall POV one takes with evolution in the wild, "it's natural" is correct, and the morality of the process is pretty easy to wave off (until we screw with nature enough so that it's not a process of "the wild.")
But when you have intelligent actors, and a society they exist within, I maintain that there is every reason to exert control over those who would, through ignorance and stupidity, impose on the health, safety and security of others without their informed consent.
--
I invented a new word today: "plagarism."
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @06:20PM
fuck you, bitch.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @08:02PM
When it comes to Darwin Award, whether it's you or your offspring receiving it, it still does its purpose.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday March 15 2019, @12:49PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @05:20PM (6 children)
Well when tens of millions of people don't have healthcare at all and even more have the bare minimum and can't afford extra doctor visits then what? Guess we leave them at the mercy of the internet doctor.
It is amusing that you libertarian and conservative types so viscerally react to universal healthcare when all the data shows it is better AND more efficient. Kinda thought those were your calling cards, but the T word seems to scare the sense right out of you.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday March 14 2019, @05:45PM (5 children)
Speaking of dangerous myths, we have this myth that you don't have health care, if you have to pay for it yourself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @07:51PM (4 children)
"Speaking of dangerous myths, we have this myth that you don't have health care, if you have to pay for it yourself."
You win today's STOOPID award!
No such myth exists, but there is the very real fact that millions and millions of US citizens are unable to afford proper healthcare and many of those that can afford it are struggling with the payments. The US pays WAY MORE into health insurance and gets worse health outcomes. This blindingly obvious fact is always skipped by you free market capitalist cheerleaders. What happened to efficiency? I guess it doesn't matter when some industry is making ridiculous profits by ripping off the average American. Oh, also the dreaded "death panels" are already in place, most people know it as "that isn't covered by your policy".
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday March 14 2019, @08:27PM (3 children)
And yet I quoted some AC who stated that very myth.
Note the code phrase "proper health care". That means whatever you feel like it means. For me, what you can afford is proper health care. And if they're struggling with the payments? Then buy less health care.
Indeed. A large part of that is because enough people have decided that others should pay for their "proper health care".
Just as the blindingly obvious fact that there is no free market health care system in the US is always skipped by your side.
Please do pretend to care about efficiency. If the US had a real free market health care system, it wouldn't be so inefficient.
Unintended consequences are pretty bad, huh? Well, wake me up when you're interested in not making the problems worse.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 14 2019, @09:03PM (2 children)
faaarrrrrttttt noise
when you go line by line I know I can just ignore the nonsense
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday March 14 2019, @09:16PM
Thought so. Another AC with a pointless argument.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Friday March 15 2019, @01:06AM
Each line by line from khallow is either shifting the goalposts, ignoring the point being made, or lying.
That's his MO even if he doesn't really understand the subject at hand.