GoFundMe bans anti-vaccination content
GoFundMe is taking a stand against anti-vaxxers by removing any campaigns that promote misinformation about vaccines, reports The Daily Beast.
The decision comes amid heightened concern over parents who choose not to vaccinate their children, as well as an increase in measles outbreaks across the U.S.
The Daily Beast found that anti-vaxxers have been able to bring in over $170,000 over the past four years through GoFundMe. Spokesman for the company Bobby Whithorne told The Daily Beast the promotion of vaccine misinformation would "violate GoFundMe's terms of service" and therefore will be removed.
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Melissa Sullivan, the executive vice president for Health Choice Connecticut which advocates for families making their own health decisions, told The Daily Beast that the decision was a "violation of the First Amendment."
GoFundMe's decision follows in the footsteps of Facebook and YouTube, both of which have recently announced plans to reduce anti-vaccine-related content on their sites.
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Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.
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