The officials of Instagram stated that they would block hashtags that are using for spreading verifiably false info regarding vaccinations. The social media network already blocks those hashtags that themselves are false claims, like #vaccinescauseautism. According to the social network, now it will block all those hashtags that are using for spreading lies by so-called anti-vaxxers. But, many anti-vaccine topics accounts dispersing wrong information and hoaxes are still dynamic on Instagram.

Not Hoaxers, only Hoaxes

Instagram officials told that they would not take any action against those people or accounts that identify themselves as anti-vaxxers. On the other hand, it will make an effort to bind the spread of provably false claims as these have real-world dangerous effects on the public. It said it depends on worldwide authorities like the US Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization and Prevention to recognize hoaxes. False claims, for example, #vaccinesarepoison and #vaccinescauseaids previously banned and return no search results on Instagram.

However, the platform will now start to block hashtags that used to spread misinformation related vaccine. Such as, if any hashtag i-e #vaccine789 started on false claims, it would also blocked. The matter will make hard to police. The anti-vaccination accounts are not supposed to be banned whereas new hashtags like #vaccineskillandmaim seem when the old ones blocked.  Even pro-vaccine and neutral hashtags like #vaccineswork or #vaccines appointed by anti-vaxxers to spread false claims.

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The social media network Instagram also thinks that they will show educational pop-up alerts to users who search for vaccine-related hoaxes. The network previously displays pop-up alerts to users searching for drugs or browsing topics related to self-harm. YouTube stopped serving ads in February to lots of popular channels that encourage anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

Instagram will take the step ensuing protests from the organizations that revealed their adverts were running along with the controversial videos. “WHO” said that anti-vaccine views were a top ten global health threat in 2019.