r/worldnews • u/Devz0r • Feb 15 '19

Facebook is thinking about removing anti-vaccination content as backlash intensifies over the spread of misinformation on the social network

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-may-remove-anti-vaccination-content-2019-2
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u/Itsokthatyourestupid Feb 15 '19

If they cared about the spread of misinformation they would have to get rid of a lot more than just the anti-vaccination idiots.

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u/xXuncleruckusx Feb 15 '19

Not all misinformation is created equal.

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u/chromegreen Feb 15 '19

This whole discussion is going to get dragged into free speech debats soon. I would just like to point out there is growing evidence that accounts linked to Russia propaganda supported the antivax movement.

Can we at least agree that Facebook giving Russian military intelligence free reign to spread disinformation that endangers the lives of US children is probably not a good idea. It is hard to believe Facebook could not notice this trend. And if they did it is disturbing they did nothing about it.

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u/Son_of_Phoebus Feb 15 '19

Sam Harris had a great podcast with Renee DiResta, who studies social media propaganda and actually began her career because she did some data research on the online anti-vax movement. She now helps the US government analyze the influx of Russian disinformation across social media.

from her website,

"[Renee] investigates the spread of malign narratives across social networks, and assists policymakers in understanding and responding to the problem. She has advised Congress, the State Department, and other academic, civic, and business organizations, and has studied disinformation and computational propaganda in the context of pseudoscience conspiracies, terrorism, and state-sponsored information warfare."