The anti-vaccine group the Children's Health Defense celebrated the spread of a vaccine-preventable disease. According to CHD, the group was permanently banned from social media. Meta says that the ban is due to CHD's practice of spreading misinformation that could cause physical harm.
A Meta spokesman tells Ars that the accounts in question were taken down for violating the company's policies.
The anti-vax group was cut off from hundreds of thousands of followers without warning. Denying allegations that the group spreads misinformation, CHD suggested the ban is connected to their lawsuit against Meta.
The press release states that consecration is un-American.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the founder of CHD, was reported to have said that Meta was retaliating against CHD on behalf of theCDC.
AdvertisementArs was told to speak to the press release. Ars did not get a response from Teich.
Tensions have been building with CHD over its content. Researchers found that CHD was the leading source of anti-vax ads on Facebook. The account has been banned due to the entire Pandemic.
Social media platforms have pushed back on CHD's misinformation. CHD was one of the anti-vax accounts that was banned by YouTube. Meta made headlines when Kennedy's account was banned for sharing false claims about vaccine safety.
Despite not posting content on Facebook for the past 21 days due to an existing 30-day ban, CHD shared in an email newsletter that this week's permanent ban followed a temporary one. During a time of heightened criticism of our public health institutions, removing CHD accounts is a clear attempt to stop the impact.
Before any ban, Meta uses a strike system to count violations so that it can hold those who continue violating accountable. The accounts are restricted or disabled based on the number of strikes.
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