Measles, mumps and misinformation: how Crunchy Moms became ‘the most dangerous’ group on Facebook
Source: The Guardian ·
Meta says it removes content that could cause imminent physical harm – but nearly half a million members have joined a group that regularly promotes misinformationAs a measles outbreak spread through Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in August, a parent turned to a massive public Facebook group, Crunchy Moms, for advice. They were considering getting their three-year-old vaccinated, in part to…
From the source
As a measles outbreak spread through Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in August, a parent turned to a massive public Facebook group, Crunchy Moms, for advice. They were considering getting their three-year-old vaccinated, in part to protect their six-month-old. “I’m nervous for my baby,” the parent wrote. “First of all your children cannot die of measles. It is literally impossible,” one member responded. “Do not do it,” advised another. Others said the vaccine would spread measles or that it would be like “injecting poison”. At the end of the post, Facebook’s AI system – run by its parent company Meta – summarized the 589 responses, writing in part that commenters “claim the vaccine is unnecessary or even harmful”. None of those claims are true. Pennsylvania has reported six measles-associated deaths this year, including two babies in Lancaster county. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective. Health officials say it is the best defense against measles…
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