Several anti-vaxxers on Instagram are profiting off of the social media platform's "link sticker" feature by spreading misinformation after it was released as a way to court social media influencers.
The new feature allows social media users to include hyperlinks to external websites inside their Instagram Stories. The social media company touted link stickers in October 2021 as a tool for "businesses, creators, and change-makers" so they can share resources and information that can "inspire" their communities.
Profiting Off Misinformation
But now, the social media company is working on removing access to link stickers from accounts that have repeatedly shared information such as hate speech and false data. Other content that was shared violated the platform's Community Guidelines.
However, a recent review of the social media site showed that anti-vaccine advocates and right-wing provocateurs have taken advantage of the link sticker feature to profit with their Stories by spreading misinformation, organizing extremist events, and pushing their followers to more extreme content on platforms such as Gettr, Clouthub, and Telegram, Media Matters reported.
Sherri Tenpenny who was named as part of the Center for Countering Digital Hate's "Disinformation Doze," a group of people who were found to be responsible for a large portion of vaccine misinformation online early last year, had used Instagram's feature to promote supplements to her fans and followers.
It was also reported that Tenpenny and another individual who was identified to be a part of the Disinformation Dozen, Joseph Mercola, used the link sticker feature to urge their social media followers to join alternative social media platforms that are associated with right-wing activists and groups.
Tenpenny was found to have used the link sticker feature to promote the supplement website "The Good Inside." She used an Instagram account to evade getting banned to promote the products. She was also previously banned from the social media platform more than once for spreading anti-vaccine misinformation, Business Insider reported.
Instagram's Link Sticker Feature Misused
On Wednesday, the Instagram account that was reportedly from Tenpenny was no longer available to view. Furthermore, Robert Kennedy Jr., who is also an anti-vax advocate, was included in the Disinformation Dozen. He used sticker links on an Instagram account for his podcast to promote an Amazon listing of his book, "The Real Anthony Fauci."
Kennedy Jr.'s book accused the U.S.'s top infectious disease expert and the chief medical advisor to United States President Joe Biden of executing a "historic coup d'etat against Western democracy. The book features misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.
The Instagram account for his podcast did not respond to a request for comment regarding the controversy. Other people included in the report were identified to be right-wing activists, Jack Posobiec, who allegedly promoted products for Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, and pro-Trump activist who repeatedly propagated the false theory that the Republican businessman was the victim of fraud in the 2020 elections.
Lindell and Posobiec did not respond to requests for comment regarding the controversy after the report. A former professional baseball player, Aubrey Huff, who had more than 30,000 Instagram followers, also used the link sticker feature to advertise anti-vaccine apparel, Yahoo News reported.
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