News
Government urged to act over ‘dangerous lies’ on coronavirus
A group of high-profile medics have written to ministers calling on them to legislate against conspiracy theories
September 3, 2020 10:54
A group of high-profile medics have written to ministers calling on them to legislate against conspiracy theories
September 3, 2020 10:54The government has been urged to act against social media companies which fail to remove dangerous fake news about coronavirus and the impact of vaccines, which often feature antisemitic conspiracy theories.
A group of medics who now make regular media appearances — including Dr Ellie Cannon and bestselling author and former junior doctor Adam Kay — have written to Tory ministers Oliver Dowden, Priti Patel and Matt Hancock, calling on them to introduce legislation “to prevent dangerous lies about health and medicine being spread to millions”.
They were responding to a new report from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Restless Development which found that tech platforms have been failing to remove anti-vaccine misinformation, even when it is reported to them.
One post that Twitter failed to act upon after it was reported claimed the Holocaust “could not have been executed” without the help of “Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, blacks.”
Another post by UK-based Covid conspiracy theorist Kate Sehmirani showed her tweeting comparing vaccines to “gas chambers” and “a Holocaust.”
Others linked high-profile Jews and Israel to allegations of paedophilia.
The CCDH identified 409 anti-vaccine pages across social media with a following of 58 million in July. These were described in its report The Anti-Vaxx Industry, and reported to Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
Just six of those pages have been removed since the list was sent to the platforms, while the remaining pages have seen their audience grow by more than one million new followers.
Evidence was also found of misinformation being deliberately targeted at BAME audiences. In the replies to some posts which were left up, social media users threatened violence and murder against groups and individuals, including the media, politicians, Dr Anthony Fauci, and “Big Pharma.”
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube all claim in their policies to remove “harmful misinformation” related to Covid-19.
The medics have called for the Online Harms Bill to be brought before Parliament “at the earliest possible opportunity” and for it to include potential penalties for tech companies which allow “dangerous lies about health and medicine” to be viewed on their websites.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, said: “A Coronavirus vaccine is our best hope of a return to normality. It would be a tragedy if it was unsuccessful in eradicating this disease because of lies told to people on social media.
“While we have made enormous sacrifices to keep our society safe, social media companies are undermining their effort by failing to enforce their own policies and claims to act on dangerous misinformation. Big tech has proven that they do not care, they will not act, and they only listen when their profits are on the line.
“Government must legislate to ensure these platforms take down hate and misinformation. And companies who advertise on social media can make their voice heard by pausing their adverts until action is taken.”
Rosanne Palmer-White, Director of Restless Development UK, said: “Yet again, young people have been let down by social media companies. They continue to report dangerous Covid-19 misinformation, but continue to be ignored by these platforms. It is time for social media companies to start listening.”
