YouTube is updating its medical misinformation policies to include a ban on all anti-vax content.
In a blog post, the company notes that this marks an expansion of existing policies that blocked COVID-19-related vaccine videos based on a number of criteria. Now, videos about any type of vaccine, be it the flu shot or the MMR vaccine, will be banned.
“We have constantly seen false claims about coronavirus vaccines that have turned into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we are now at a point where it is more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to others. vaccines”. writes YouTube on the blog.
“Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and causes chronic health effects, that claims that vaccines do not reduce the transmission or contraction of disease, or that contains misinformation about substances contained in vaccines will be removed.” .
Examples of this include content that falsely claims that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer, or infertility, or contains location-tracking devices. The company says it consulted with medical experts when developing the new policies.
For more information on the COVID-19 vaccines approved in Canada, visit the Government of Canada website.
Source: Youtube