Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube are cracking down on the spread of medical misinformation on their sites, after a recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal exposed adverts for bogus treatments for diseases including cancer, as well as the growing anti-vaccination movement. In 2016, supplement salesman Robert O Young was jailed for practising medicine without a licence, after earning up to $5m annually from internet customers — mainly through Facebook and YouTube. After his release, Young has several pages on Facebook. But it is not just fake medicines that have been targeted.
Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube are cracking down on the spread of medical misinformation on their sites, after a recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal exposed adverts for bogus treatments for diseases including cancer, as well as the growing anti-vaccination movement. In 2016, supplement salesman Robert O Young was jailed for practising medicine without a licence, after earning up to $5m annually from internet customers — mainly through Facebook and YouTube. After his release, Young has several pages on Facebook. A 2018 study by JAMA Oncology found people who choose alternative cancer treatments over conventional therapies have a higher mortality risk.