Hoax cancer cures touted online before expert advice
Search results on Facebook display groups promoting fake treatments ahead of charity guidance
FACEBOOK has been promoting dangerous homemade cancer “cures” more prominently than official information from charities, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found.
Vulnerable people searching for advice are shown a series of groups with adverts and discussions relating to hoax cures before they see trustworthy advice from organisations such as Cancer Research UK.
One group suggested that cancer sufferers treat themselves using apricot kernels, which release cyanide into the body. Other bogus cancer cures included homoeopathy, electric shock machines and vegetable smoothies.
Michael Marshall, the project director of the UK charity the Good Thinking Society, said that Facebook’s prominent placement of fake cancer cure groups was “a dangerous thing”.
“We speak to people whose family members have gone down the route of alternative cancer cures”, Mr Marshall said. “Some of the most persuasive material that gets them into that world is through Facebook conversations with people who also believe it”.
Facebook appears to be keen to promote groups on its site as the Telegraph discovered it makes them easier to find in search results than pages for charities. Groups promoting bogus treatments were listed at the top of searches, meaning that cancers sufferers could easily find misinformation and fake remedies.
Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK’s head information nurse, said: “It’s often difficult for patients to judge the evidence for any so-called cure that they see on Facebook. The volume of search results promoting unfounded claims is overwhelming and it’s easy to see how people end up turning to alternative therapies.”
The social network works with organisations including Snopes and the Associated Press to monitor fake news, however no such partnerships are in place to vet medical claims in groups.
Prof David Colquhoun, emeritus professor of pharmacology at University College London, suggested that Facebook should hide misleading posts.
“I think they should take responsibility, they should stop pretending they’re a platform, admit that they’re a publisher and not promote fake cancer cures”, he said.
The problem has become so serious that cancer charity Macmillan Cancer Support hired Ellen McPake, a digital nurse specialist, last year to provide accurate information on cancer treatments through the internet. “The large number of sources which promote bogus cures and unverified statistics can lead to people not only frightening themselves, but worryingly, risking their health”, Mrs McPake said.
Making claims that foodstuffs cure
‘[Facebook] should take responsibility ... admit that they’re a publisher and not promote fake cancer cures’
cancer is an offence under the Cancer Act 1939.
Craig McClue, head of policy at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “If it was brought to Facebook’s attention that such ads were illegal, they would have a responsibility to take them down.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said patients should be wary of alternative treatments or “miracle cures” and should ask their GP or clinician for advice.
A Facebook spokesman said: “We have invested in limiting the spread of misinformation, including unproven cancer treatments. We prioritise verified pages in search results, including organisations like Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, to ensure that authentic content is the most visible resource for people seeking information. Misleading information can be harmful and we are working to do our part to help people access accurate and genuine content.”