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Topline
YouTube is cracking down on content peddling Covid-19 vaccine falsehoods, including banning anything that suggests a vaccine would kill people, cause infertility or be used to implant microchips into people getting vaccinated.
Some conspiracy theories claim that Covid-19 vaccines will be used to implant surveillance … [+]
Key Facts
The video platform has pledged to delete videos containing misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines, it said in a blog post.
Videos contradicting expert consensus from health authorities, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), will be removed.
Content that features discussions about “broad concerns” over the vaccine will be permitted to remain, according to a spokesman speaking to Reuters.
YouTube says it has removed over 200,000 videos featuring dangerous or misleading Covid-19 information since February.
Key Background
Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories have been running rampant on social media. Baseless claims and theories include everything from 5G somehow causing the pandemic to vaccines being used to make millions infertile to Bill Gates microchipping everyone.
YouTube’s move to ban misleading vaccine content follows its existing ban on “medically unsubstantiated” Covid-19 claims. Facebook and Instagram banned anti-vaccination ads Tuesday, building on earlier steps to cut down on coronavirus misinformation in groups and pages. Twitter banned Covid-19 misinformation back in March. Pinterest, which has had strict policies on medical misinformation for years, reportedly blocks coronavirus searches, directing users to a page containing information from the World Health Organisation.
Further Reading
Facebook Bans Anti-Vaccination Ads (Forbes)
YouTube bans coronavirus vaccine misinformation (Reuters)
Coronavirus: 5G and microchip conspiracies around the world (BBC)
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