Anti-vax online accounts surge

Experts warn social media comments risk undermining national health response

A network of anti-vaccine Facebook accounts have surged in popularity since the start of the Delta outbreak, prompting new warnings from scientists about the threat of misinformation to New Zealand’s attempts to contain Covid-19.

Analysis of Facebook data by the Herald on Sunday reveals a cluster of New Zealand-based accounts critical of Covid vaccines and public health restrictions added tens of thousands of followers since the outbreak began in August, generating high rates of shares and comments and racking up millions of video views.

In just a few months, the accounts have built a highly engaged audience that appears receptive to misleading and false claims about the safety and effectiveness of the Covid vaccines.

Disinformation researchers say the Facebook accounts’ growth mirrors that of a wider online movement in Aotearoa that is becoming increasingly assertive in opposition to the Government’s handling of the pandemic.

The Herald on Sunday has opted not to identify the accounts to avoid amplifying dubious claims that could be harmful to public health.

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, said it has taken measures to remove false and damaging information about Covid from its platform.

It has removed some videos posted by the accounts reviewed by the Herald on Sunday for violating its policies.

But public health experts and information researchers said Meta and other social media companies must do more to stop the flood of misinformation spreading online.

“The social media platforms have to take responsibility as publishers, rather than as just platforms,” said epidemiologist Michael Baker, a professor of public health at the University of Otago Wellington.

The Herald on Sunday used data from CrowdTangle, an analytics tool owned by Facebook, to analyse the growth of anti-vaccine accounts on the platform.

The data does not show exactly how many people the accounts have reached through their posts and videos — Meta keeps those figures secret — but it shows the growth and rate of engagement they’re getting, which provides an indication of their popularity.

Public health experts say misinformation (false claims spread without necessarily intending to deceive) and disinformation (false claims that are knowingly spread) are a serious risk to the Government’s attempts to protect the New Zealand population against Covid, because they create confusion and undermine trust in health institutions.

Although misinformation is not as pervasive in New Zealand as in some other countries, researchers say it has mushroomed during the Delta outbreak and reached a “tipping point”.

“It’s spreading,” said Sanjana Hattotuwa, a researcher for The Disinformation Project at the University of Auckland’s Te Pu¯ naha Matatini centre.

“It’s like a metastasising cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand and it’s spreading across these platforms.”

Researchers say Facebook is doing more than some of its rivals to crack down on misinformation, but it’s not been enough to stem the avalanche of anti-vaccine content.

And when Facebook takes action against an account, the campaigners quickly adapt and move elsewhere.