Cancel culture puts limits on COVID-19 information
By AnneMarie Schieber of Health Care News · May 25, 2021
Cancel culture is encroaching into the public health sphere, with Facebook removing information about COVID-19 and vaccines it deems erroneous, and YouTube removing videos of U.S. Senate hearings on early home treatment for COVID-19 from a U.S. senator’s YouTube channel.
On February 8, Facebook stated it is expanding its efforts to remove posts and paid ads about vaccines and COVID-19 that are not consistent with “leading health organizations” such as the World Health Organization, including on Instagram.
The announcement, made in a blog post, gave a detailed list of banned discussions, including content questioning the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, natural immunity, the severity of COVID-19, mortality rates, and whether social distancing is being ordered to promote 5G technology. Facebook also forbids discussion on cures or preventions for COVID-19, including the use of vitamins that could lead to “harmful self-medication.” Users are also not permitted to discuss the effectiveness of masks or discourage their use.