Social network censored vaccination content

this is a polarized in such a way as the topic of Vaccination. Especially in the Internet, the waves go high, Impfbefürworter and opponents share hard content on social media. Not always, these are supported by scientific evidence. A first network has opted for a radical solution: if you search on Pinterest search terms on the topic of Vaccination, should not receive any more answers.

Pinterest works as a virtual pinboard, users can search for content, receive input images or the linked articles and can save them on their own pinboard. Content to vaccinations should still be on your own account, saved, active Search for it should not be possible.

"is contrary to medical research"

The company justified this step that it would take action against the dissemination of false information on this topic. Most of the content on Pinterest on the topic have warned against vaccinations, which is contrary to established medical guidelines, and the research that have shown that vaccines are safe, says the company.

Who had previously searched for on the platform for content on the topic of Vaccination, for example, had links to articles with titles like "10 reasons not to vaccinate your child" or "you See these horror images of children have been vaccinated". First of all, you have tried to remove Anti-vaccination content to the platform, informed a spokesperson of Pinterest, the "Wall Street Journal". You have not managed to banish them completely from the page.

strict

Therefore, you have already been introduced at the end of last year the lock. However, this does not seem to be particularly comprehensive: if you search on Pinterest for the English term "vaccination" (vaccination), receives a notice that no content has been found. To do this, the user receives a Link to the rules of the network. Anyone who enters, however, "vaccinate" (vaccination), continues to find content on the topic, as well as with the German search vaccination "and" Vaccination terms"".

Pinterest has described the barrier as a temporary, but necessary solution. This will hold until the company can find better opportunities with "polluted content", as you call it – deal with it. Last year have already been Looking for dubious cancer therapies is blocked.

New Dimension

Many social networks around, at the moment, the question of how to content shared on their platforms to deal, and when it's time to intervene. Twitter and Facebook have started to check the content on hatred, violence, terrorism recruitment or sexual harassment, and already millions of accounts closed. This also led to accusations that corporations were politically censor biased, would, and it lacked transparency.

The move by Pinterest is a new Dimension in this debate: Until recently, most Social Media companies have represented the attitude that you are not the arbiter of truth, but rather passive information provider, said Samuel Woolley, a researcher of the think tank Institute for the Future, "Wall Street Journal".

There has long been pressure on companies to respond. Because the reality is that false information would be disseminated. This could, in particular, to Vaccinate the subject in the worst case, even life-threatening, Woolley.

sour

last week, had also written to the Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the US house of representatives, Google and Facebook, and his concern in this regard expressed. The Algorithms of the Tech-giants would recommend the messages, the parents had to vaccinate their children. Facebook said, think about the way to adapt the algorithm to the users of health information. This could also be part of that Anti-vaccine-not more or less shared content prominently.

In the case of certain users viewed on the pinterest Change was not good. You have the feeling that the removal of these Posts was an Assault, said Ifeoma Ozoma, Public Policy and Social Media Manager at Pinterest. A user, the 58-year-old Kevin Malone, told the Wall Street Journal, he referred all of his medical information from Podcasts, and Facebook. He was concerned that the social media would be completely censored. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 21.02.2019, 14:25 PM