Go Fund Me Removes All Anti Vaccine Fund Raising

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“Campaigns raising money to promote misinformation about vaccines violate GoFundMe’s terms of service and will be removed from the platform,” spokesman Bobby Whithorne told The Daily Beast.

GoFundMe has joined a growing list of social media companies cracking down on anti-vaccination propaganda to help stop the spread of misinformation.

The increased effort from tech giants, such as Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube, comes amid a relentless anti-vaccine movement, talk about “chickenpox parties” and concerns over measles outbreaks across the country. It also comes as the American Medical Association, the nation’s most prominent doctors’ organization, has urged social media platforms to ensure users have access to accurate information on vaccines.

Amazon confirmed this week that it, too, had taken action, pulling books from its online marketplace which tout bogus information about autism and vaccines.

Then came Instagram’s announcement on 21 March 2019. Instagram said it plans to block a slew of anti-vaccine hashtags amid an ongoing crackdown on medical misinformation on their platform. Facebook three weeks ago unveiled plans to combat anti-vaccine content, and included a pledge it would no longer promote anti-vaccine posts on Instagram’s search and “explore” features. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, shared its plans after media outlets inquired about anti-vaccine misinformation continuing to spread on the social media giant’s platforms.

And now GoFundMe is doing the same.

GoFundMe spokesman Bobby Whithorne said the company is “conducting a thorough review and will remove any campaigns currently on the platform.” But Whithorne also told the news site that those crowdfunding campaigns are “extremely rare” and that, so far, the company has found fewer than 10 to remove.

Experts say companies, especially social media platforms, are being tasked with new and challenging responsibilities as they learn to navigate the line between doing business and playing the role of censor in an age when misleading claims about health and science can have a profound impact on public health. At the same time, some anti-vaccination advocates suggest the crackdowns violate First Amendment rights, limit alternative views and give Big Pharma an upper hand.

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