In response to "spreading misinformation," Facebook bans a major US anti-vaccine group

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• Aug 19, 2022 | Poonam Nath

The Children's Health Defense (CHD), a COVID vaccination critic, quickly accused Meta of limiting its free speech rights.

Digital Desk: Meta, the owner of Facebook, announced on Thursday that it had removed one of the most influential anti-vaccination organizations in the United States from the social media network for promoting COVID-19 falsehoods.

The Children's Health Defense (CHD), a long-time opponent of COVID vaccinations, immediately accused Meta of violating its free expression rights.

In a press release, CHD founder Robert Kennedy Jr. stated that "Facebook is serving as a surrogate for the federal government's crusade to stifle all criticism of harsh government policies."

According to Meta spokesperson Aaron Simpson, the group's Facebook and Instagram profiles were shut down on Wednesday. The ban was imposed following many violations of Meta's disinformation guidelines.

CHD stated that its social media profiles were followed by hundreds of thousands of people and that Meta's action caught them off guard.

In a statement, the organization posted a screenshot of messages claiming that the accounts had been suspended for violating Meta policy concerning "misinformation that could lead to real-world harm."

CHD claimed that the ban was related to a lawsuit it launched against Meta, charging the internet giant with violating free speech rights by depending on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine what COVID-19 content is scientifically supported.

According to legal records, the anti-vaccine group has appealed a lower court verdict against it in the dispute.