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 or MMR shots, will be prohibited.
“We’ve steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we’re now at a point where it’s more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines,” writes YouTube in the blog.
“Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.”
Examples of this include content falsely claiming that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or contain location tracking devices. The company says it consulted with medical experts when developing the new policies.
For more on approved COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, visit the Government of Canada’s website.
Source: YouTube
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