YouTube bans all anti-vaccine content

Ground Report | New Delhi: YouTube bans all anti-vaccine content; Google's video platform YouTube decided to ban all videos that contain misinformation about the vaccines currently administered as a method to combat coronavirus and that have been approved by local health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO).

YouTube bans all anti-vaccine content

The measure is an expansion of a policy that covers Covid-19 vaccines . The service pointed out that users should not, for example, post videos claiming that vaccines cause chronic side effects (this does not include the rare side effects that health authorities have recognized); content that alleges that vaccines do not reduce the transmission or contraction of diseases; or videos that have inaccuracies about the ingredients of the vaccine.

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"Vaccines in particular have been a source of intense debate over the years, despite constant guidance from health authorities on their effectiveness," the platform said in a statement.

Are there any exceptions?

There are some exceptions. YouTube "will continue to allow content on vaccine policies, new vaccine trials, and historical vaccine successes or failures." Users can also share scientific vaccine discussions and personal testimonials about their experiences, as long as they do not have a history of promoting vaccine misinformation and their video complies with other YouTube rules .

It should also be okay to post videos that "condemn, dispute, or satirize misinformation" that violates YouTube's policies . Similarly, YouTube pointed out to the Washington DC newspaper, Washington Post, which is also taking down channels linked to prominent anti-vaccine advocates, including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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The reason it didn't move to ban all anti-vaccine content earlier is because it was targeting misinformation about Covid -19. "Developing strong policies takes time," Matt Halprin, YouTube vice president of global security and trust, told the publication . "We wanted to launch a policy that is comprehensive, consistently enforceable, and adequately addresses the challenge."

YouTube , as well as Facebook and Twitter, banned all misinformation about the coronavirus in the early spring of last year. Since then, the video platform has removed more than 130,000 videos that broke its rules on coronavirus or misinformation about vaccines, in addition to removing more than a million videos in total, which included misinformation about the coronavirus. .

In addition, he added that current community regulations already prohibit "certain types of misleading medical information." "We have long removed content that promotes harmful remedies, such as saying that drinking turpentine can cure diseases," the platform added.

YouTube creates new policies

YouTube also noted that at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it made 10 new policies and worked with an expert group to develop them.
"Working closely with health authorities, we seek to balance our commitment to an open platform with the need to remove egregious harmful content," the platform added .

Meanwhile, Facebook has been working to reduce the spread of anti-vaccine content since at least 2019. The social network formally banned vaccine disinformation in February.

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