The video features an interview with an anti-vaxx medical “researcher” whose “research” was debunked by @snopes Snopes two years ago. It’s staged to look like a television news interview and ties these debunked claims to the current Coronavirus pandemic. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/scientist-vaccine-jailed/">https://www.snopes.com/fact-chec...
The move to reopen is composed of various extremist groups and Anti-vaxxers are now part of that coalition. Anti-vaxxers have been an organizing presence at many of the protests we’ve seen over the last few weeks. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/us/anti-vaxxers-coronavirus-protests.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/0...
This pandemic has given Anti-vaxxers an unprecedented opportunity to amplify their message and expand their base of support, and tapping into the reopen movement has proven to be a successful way to do it.
Here’s what worries me. The Anti-vaxx folks do an alarming amount of online harassment, including harassing healthcare workers. Doctors who speak publicly in support of vaccines are routinely the targets of online harassment campaigns. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/27/facebook-anti-vaxx-harassment-campaigns-doctors-fight-back">https://www.theguardian.com/technolog...
We’re dangerously close to the stage where Alex Jones/Anti-vaxx/QAnon-world starts accusing healthcare workers of being crisis actors or something similar.
Especially if the Trump Administration follows through on a plan, first reported by @Axios, to “begin publicly questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions for the final death count and damages him politically.” https://www.axios.com/trump-coronavirus-death-toll-d8ba60a4-316b-4d1e-8595-74970c15fb34.html">https://www.axios.com/trump-cor...
By now we’ve seen this play out many times. We know what the worst-case scenario is: a terrorist who was radicalized online showing up at a hospital or targeting healthcare workers for violence.
We know disinformation and conspiracies continue to thrive online, and that tech companies, as a rule, will only take meaningful action when it’s a PR problem so big they can’t ignore it.
What can we do? Tech accountability campaigns are especially important right now. Two I want to highlight for you. Both from organizations with track records of getting wins:
1. @Avaaz Avaaz has organized an open letter from more than top health professionals to the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Youtube urging them to “stop giving oxygen” to COVID-19 lies and conspiracy theories. https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/health_disinfo_letter/">https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/...
2. @SumOfUs SumOfUs has a petition to the social media platforms that anyone can sign, calling on them to “treat all coronavirus disinformation the same — even when it comes from official sources like Donald Trump, or news sources like Fox." https://actions.sumofus.org/a/trump-s-coronavirus-disinformation/">https://actions.sumofus.org/a/trump-s...
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