Instagram on Wednesday prohibited Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, from repeatedly posting incorrect information about the safety of vaccines and COVID-19.
Kennedy Jr. has gained a large following on social media, where he frequently posts denied or unproven statements about vaccines. He also uses his social media pages to post about major pharmaceutical companies and environmental health issues.
“We removed this account for repeatedly sharing denied claims about the coronavirus or vaccines,” said a Facebook spokesman, owner of Instagram, on Thursday.
In an emailed statement, Kennedy Jr. supported his Instagram posts, adding that they were carefully examined.
“This type of censorship is counterproductive if our goal is to provide a safe and effective vaccine,” he said.
More recently, Kennedy Jr. published incorrect information about COVID vaccines. In a post in late January, he described the COVID vaccines that are currently being administered in the United States as a potential danger, despite studies on tens of thousands of people who have found no serious side effects.
The suspension of Kennedy Jr.’s Instagram account comes just days after Facebook, the owner of Instagram, announced it would step up efforts to block the spread of erroneous information about vaccines, including claims that injections are ineffective, toxic, dangerous or cause autism. Countries around the world are stepping up their efforts to inoculate citizens with the version of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Still, Kennedy Jr.’s Facebook page, which has followers of more than 300,000 users, remained active on Thursday morning. The company did not immediately answer questions about Kennedy’s Facebook account.
A Twitter account owned by Kennedy Jr. also remains active, where he has more than 200,000 followers.
The controversial environmental lawyer has helped for years to popularize a conspiracy theory denied that vaccines can cause autism, although repeated scientific studies in the U.S. and abroad have found no evidence linking vaccines to developmental disorder.
Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it would ban ads on its platform that discouraged vaccination – with an exception made for ads on government vaccine policies. Unpaid posts from people or groups that discourage vaccination will still be allowed.
Facebook has taken other steps to try to stop the spread of vaccines and incorrect information related to the coronavirus on its platform. Last year, she said she would start hiding groups and pages that spread incorrect information about vaccines from her website’s search function.