Facebook may take steps to limit the amount of anti-vaccine information users can share on the platform, reports Bloomberg.
The company announced it would look into the issue after Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) penned a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday requesting information on steps the company is taking to prevent the spread of disinformation regarding vaccines. The letter highlighted the ease with which misinformation can spread on sites like Facebook and Instagram and specifically referenced the exposure to anti-vaccine content on social media.
In Facebook's response, the company said possible fixes could include "reducing or removing this type of content from recommendations, including Groups You Should Join, and demoting it in search results, while also ensuring that higher quality and more authoritative information is available," per Bloomberg.
A recent measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest has brought the anti-vaccination debate back into public view. Darla Shine, the wife of President Trump's Communications Director, took to Twitter on Wednesday to cast doubt on the validity of vaccinations, tweeting "Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy & fight cancer." The World Health Organization said that reluctance or refusal to get vaccines is a top threat to global health this year. Read more at Bloomberg.