GoFundMe bans anti-vaxxers

Image: FRED TANNEAU/AFP/Getty Images

GoFundMe is cracking down on anti-vaxxers.

The popular fundraising website says it will no longer allow anti-vaccine groups and activists to raise money to spread anti-vaccination conspiracies on its platform, according to a statement provided to . 

“Campaigns raising money to promote misinformation about vaccines violate GoFundMe’s terms of service and will be removed from the platform,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Bobby Whithorne in a similar statement provided to Mashable. 

The company’s policies state that “products that make health claims that have not been approved or verified” by regulatory bodies are prohibited from using its service.

While it’s unknown exactly how much anti-vaccination campaigns have raised money through GoFundMe, The Daily Beast reports that it had discovered previous fundraisers from anti-vaxxer activists, legal funds, and Facebook pages that totaled around $170,000.

While losing GoFundMe as a resource to raise money will certainly hurt, anti-vaxxers have been using other means to fund their efforts. A report earlier this month discovered that anti-vaccine groups were through Amazon’s charity program, AmazonSmile.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been of measles — a once nearly eradicated disease — reported in the U.S. so far this year. 

Experts say that anti-vaccination conspiracies, on Facebook and other social media services, have played a major role in the outbreak. Thanks to public outcry, many online companies have ramped up efforts to remove anti-vaccination content from their platforms in recent months.

In February, blocked anti-vaccination-related search queries from its platform. Shortly after, YouTube announced that it would be anti-vaxxer content on its site. Amazon followed suit by from its Prime video service. 

Faced with increasing public pressure, Facebook also announced it would take action to anti-vaccination pages and groups just this month.