>>> WELCOME BACK TO "VELSHI & RUHLE".
RUHLE". THE ANTIVACCINATION MOVEMENT IS
GROWING, AND MORE CHILDREN ARE
GETTING SICK, REALLY SICK, DUE
TO A NEW WAVE OF CONSPIRACY
THEORIES THAT HAVE BEEN SHARED
THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
WELL, CURRENTLY IN CLARK COUNTY,
WASHINGTON, AN AREA KNOWN AS
ANTI-VACS HOT SPOT, THERE ARE
NOW 64 CONFIRMED CASES OF THE
MEASLES.
MEASLES. OF THOSE 56 WERE NOT IMMUNIZED
AND SIX ARE UNVERIFIED.
AND MEASLES IS AN EXTREMELY
CONTAGIOUS, EVEN DEADLY DISEASE.
IN AN EFFORT TO TACKLE THE
RECENT MEASLES OUTBREAK, CLARK
COUNTY’S HEALTH DIRECTOR IS
SPREADING AWARENESS ABOUT THE
DANGERS OF ONLINE VACCINE
MISINFORMATION.
MISINFORMATION. RNING IT CAN ALL SEEM, QUOTE,
PRETTY SOPHISTICATED.
PRETTY SOPHISTICATED. THE OPTION TO NOT VACCINATE CAN
BE PRETTY SIMPLE IN A LARGE
MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY.
WASHINGTON AND 16 OTHER STATES
ALLOW PARENTS, BY LAW, TO OPT
OUT OF VACCINATING THEIR
CHILDREN ON A GROUNDS OF
PERSONAL BELIEFS.
PERSONAL BELIEFS. THE ANTIVACS MOVEMENT IS NOT
KNEW DATING ALL THE WAY BACK TO
THE 18th CENTURY.
THE MOST RECENT PUSH BACK STEMS
FROM A FEAR THAT VACCINES ARE
CONNECTED TO AUTISM.
THIS IS A MYTH -- A MYTH -- THAT
HAS BEEN DEBUNK THE BY MANY
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES.
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES. NOW HEALTH EXPERTS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY ARE DEMANDING STRONGER
LEGISLATION AND A WAKE UP CALL,
CALLING THE MOVEMENT A CRISIS AS
MORE AND MORE KIDS ARE LEFT AT
RISK.
RISK. TAGLING
TAGLING TACKLING THE ISSUE WILL TAKE
MORE THAN HELP FROM THE HILL.
IT IS A FEAT ALL THE TECH GIANTS
ARE CURRENTLY BATTLING.
THE QUESTION IS ARE THEY DOING
ENOUGH?
ENOUGH? SO FAR PINTEREST HAS MADE THE
MOST SERIOUS EFFORT, BLOCKING
SEARCH RESULTS FOR THE WORD
VACCINE ALTOGETHER.
VACCINE ALTOGETHER. JOINING ME SENIOR BUSINESS NEWS
REPORTER BEN POPKIN.
IT’S GREAT THAT PINTEREST IS
TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, BUT I
KIND OF FEEL LIKE PINTEREST IS
THE LEAST OF OUR WORRIES.
WHAT’S NAS BOOK DOING, WHAT’S
TWITTER DOING?
TWITTER DOING? >> EACH PLATFORM HAS THEIR OWN
APPROACH TO THIS IDEA.
THE PROBLEM IS THE ANTI-VACS
IDEA, IDEAS CAN BE VIRUSES, TOO.
IT CAN LITERALLY PHYSICALLY HARM
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. THINGS NEED TO BE DONE TO STOP
IT.
IT. WHAT THE PLATFORMS ARE TRYING TO
DO, THEY’RE TRYING TO ADDRESS
THINGS WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE
FREE SPEECH PROBLEM.
THEY WANT TO TRY TO DO THINGS
FROM THE MARGINS.
FACEBOOK SAYS THEY’VE TAKEN
STEPS, KNOWS IT HAS MORE.
GOOGLE SAYS IT HAS SYSTEMS IN
PLACE.
PLACE. TWITTER SAYS THEY WANT TO MAKE
SURE THERE IS A BALANCE OF
INFORMATION PEOPLE CAN GET BOTH
PRO VACS AND ANTIVACCINATION
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. THESE ARE SCIENTIFIC FACTS.
THERE SHOULD NOT BE A DEBATE
ABOUT FACTS.
ABOUT FACTS. THE PLATFORMS ARE EXPOSING
PEOPLE TO INFORMATION THAT CAN
REALLY HARM THEM.
THEY’RE OPERATING AS RECRUITING
PLATT
PLATT PLATFORMS.
PLATFORMS. THEY CONNECT -- I TYPED IN
VACCINE INTO THE TOP OF THE
FACEBOOK SEARCH BAR AND FIVE OF
THE TOP EIGHT RESULTS ALL SEEMED
TO BE PRETTY PROBLEMATIC TO ME.
IF YOU START THERE LOOKING FOR
SOMETHING, IT DESCRIBES A WORM
HOLE OR BLACK HOLE.
THEY SAY YOU LIKE THIS ONE
THING?
THING? I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU 20
DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF IT.
DATA SHOWS ARE SLIGHTLY MORE OR
HE CAN STREAK AND DRAW YOU IN.
IT’S DRAWING THEM DOWN TO
CONSPIRACY BLACK HOLES AND
WORSE.
WORSE. >> WE HAVE ONE EXAMPLE, A
COMMUNITY FACEBOOK PAGE, STOP
MANDATORY VACCINATION.
MANDATORY VACCINATION. WHO WOULD BE A FOUNDER OF A
MOVEMENT LIKE THIS?
WHO IS DRIVING THIS AND WHY?
>> THERE ARE SELF-DESCRIBED
ACTIVISTS, CONCERNED PARENT.
THE PROBLEM IS THEY’RE NOT JUST
SPREADING THIS MISINFORMATION,
THEY’RE ALSO MAKING MONEY OFF OF
IT.
IT. THERE IS SORT OF A DARK BACK
INTO THESE, WHERE THESE GROUPS,
WE’RE GOING TO PROTECT KIDS.
THEY’RE SAYING, BUY MY HERBAL
REMEDIES INSTEAD OF VACCINES.
SUPPORT THE CAUSE BY BUYING MY
T-SHIRT.
T-SHIRT. IF YOU LET SPAM MARKET, WE NEED