Facebook news ban sees anti-vaccine misinformation pages unaffected and posting in 'information vacuum'
Posted
ThuThursday 18
updated
ThuThursday 18
Conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine propaganda are spreading while Facebook blocks trusted news sites.
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In the midst of an "information vacuum" caused by Facebook's news ban in Australia, fringe self-described news websites, some already known for spreading misinformation, are freely posting vaccine scare stories.
Key points:
There is confusion around what counts as "news" content
Public health experts fear a spike in vaccine scare stories ahead of Monday's vaccine rollout
"Omg you guys are the only news left for Australians … all have gone," read one comment on an Australian Facebook page with over 200,000 followers.