Two-thirds of anti-vaccination propaganda posted online is created by just 12 so-called influencers, research has found.
Different to those who describe themselves vaccine hesitant, anti-vaxxers tend to employ aggressive methods to persuade others not to get injections designed to help prevent disease.
The list was compiled by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and found most of the figures, who claim to be political or medical leaders, are based in America.
After social media companies were made aware of the prevalence of the material some was removed, but many videos and articles remain online today.
Critics believe some are exploiting loopholes which mean that if they post content under another name or appear on a page hosted by another user their anti-vax content is not removed.
Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the CCDH, told Sky News that social media giants “bear none of the cost for the content” they host, including dangerous material which can drive users to their platforms.
He called on the companies to do more to remove it quickly, amid fears that those left unvaccinated remained more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and, crucially, hospitalisation.
He said the most effective anti-vaxxers were “great marketers” and drew people in by generating content related to wellness or fertility, then gradually linked these issues to vaccination.
Mr Ahmed said the algorithms used by social media platforms then fed people more and more similar content, until they see it frequently while online – thus normalising the opinions.
“All the platforms care about is content that people will spend time on so they can serve them adverts at the same time… they are reluctant to take any credible…
Source : skynews
