Pinterest will begin delivering information from a trusted public health organization when users search for keywords like "measles" and "vaccine safety."
On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the company announced the addition of authoritative vaccine results to the website's search feature. While the social media platform had previously blocked vaccination-related search terms to curb anti-vaccine activity, the new effort will close the "data void" that leads to false or inaccurate information being spread faster and far wider than the truth.
Pinterest Adds Pins From Health Organization
Pinterest will be culling factual health information from leading public health organizations such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Vaccine Safety Net.
Now, whenever users search for health-related keywords, they will see pins from the aforementioned public health organizations.
In addition, an information card will appear on top of the results that ask users to contact their healthcare provider if they need medical advice.
"What we and others have observed is an enthusiasm gap between those creating and disseminating harmful health misinformation and those creating resources rooted in settled science," explained Pinterest in a blog post. "Generally, there's more accessible and visually compelling health misinformation than science-based journal articles on the virtues of vaccinations. In addition, we've found that some purveyors of health misinformation have a financial incentive."
The social media platform has also removed comments, recommendations, and ads from the health-related pins.
The new search feature is now available around the world on both the web and mobile application for Android and iOS.
WHO Applauds Pinterest For Leading Fight Against Vaccine Misinformation
Pinterest's efforts to combat the spread of misinformation, especially around vaccines, have earned praise from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO. In a new statement, he singled out Pinterest's "leadership" in providing evidence-based health information to its users and urged other social media sites to follow its example.
"Social media platforms are the way many people get their information and they will likely be major sources of information for the next generations of parents," Ghebreyesus explained. "We see this as a critical issue and one that needs our collective effort to protect people's health and lives."
The WHO has listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019. Social media sites, including Pinterest, have received intense criticism for having widespread anti-vaccine propaganda and other misleading information on their platforms.
