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Instagram Announces Plans To Crack Down Hard On Anti-Vaxx Content Aimed At Spreading Misinformation

@becauseshepersisted/Instagram
May. 10, 2019

Instagram is joining the online crusade to prevent anti-vaxxers from spreading misinformation.

Earlier this year, its parent company, Facebook, pledged to fight against circulating conspiracy theories online, but search results concerning anti-vaccination remained accessible.

On Thursday, the popular app announced they would effectively block hashtags associated with false information that could deter people from getting vaccinated.

Karina Newton, Instagram's global head of public policy explained how they would enforce the new policy.

"If the hashtag was #vaccines1234, if it contained a high proportion of known vaccine misinformation, we would block that hashtag entirely."


Instagram clarified that "known vaccine misinformation" refers to information that the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control have verified as false.

The latest announcement is in response to journalists putting on the pressure as New York declared a "public health emergency" in April due to another measles outbreak affecting 300 people.



New York Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated that anti-vaxxers are responsible for the outbreaks and castigated them for being a "part of an insidious, well-funded campaign to take advantage of parents who just want to take care of their kids. "

Instagram already blocks hashtags linking to false information, but now the company will delve deeper through the use of machine learning to study which hashtags are associated with posts removed under the misinformation policy.





All hashtags with a "high proportion" of misinformation will be blocked. The Verge added that Instagram did not disclose the percentage so as to avoid users from challenging the system.



In an effort to educate users looking up vaccination information in their searches, Instagram confirmed they will employ pop-ups with high-quality information, though its wording is still being finalized.


The policing of ant-vax content just started, so users should not expect to notice significant changes yet.

But some hashtags have already seen the ax.


Newton said, "It's going to take some time to continue the work on it," as users may still come across anti-vaxx propaganda while Instagram begins the process of removing such information.

Better late than never.

Weird News

Emilia Clarke Prepared For Daenerys' Final Speech To Her Troops In The Creepiest Way

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for The MS Society

Warning: There may be spoilers if you have not watched the series finale of Game of Thrones.

Emilia Clarke wanted to ensure Daenerys Targaryen would nail that war-mongering scene in the final episode of Game of Thrones.

The 32-year-old actress – who portrays Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains (that's one character) – did what was necessary to convincingly portray the chilling moment as she spoke in Dothraki and Valyrian.

Who was her inspiration? Dictators like Adolf Hitler, of course.

Speaking with Variety, Clarke said she had to learn many fake languages for her speeches, but Daenerys's final address for her troops was by far the most challenging.

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This Man's Finger Was "Ripped Clean Off' In An Accident So Bizarre That His Wife Thought It Was An April Fool's Prank

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A father-of-three whose finger was "ripped clean off" when his wedding ring caught on the top of a fence he was climbing over told how the accident was so incredible his wife thought it was an April Fool's joke.

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Halsey Comes Through For Fan Who Was Fined For Speeding While 'Bangin' Out' To Her New Song

Jeff Kravitz / Contributor Getty Images

Halsey has paid off a fan’s speeding ticket after the woman claimed she was driving too fast because she was enjoying her new single "Nightmare".

Twitter user Francesca claimed she was driving home from Pennsylvania State University when she was stopped for speeding.

“I got pulled over… for the first time ever and when asked why I was going 99 in a 70 I was dangerously close to admitting I was bangin out to Halsey’s new song Nightmare,” she said on social media.

“What’s your Venmo. I’ll pay your ticket. Drive safely please!” Halsey said on Twitter.

The singer’s music video for Nightmare, starring Debbie Harry and Cara Delevingne, was released on May 16, and has already reached over 15.5 million views on YouTube.

The original tweet was liked over 4,000 times, and caught the attention of Halsey herself, who transferred Francesca 250 US dollars for the ticket.


Needless to say the interaction has gotten quite a lot of attention. We all stan a queen that supports her fans as much as they support her.



Once the receipt had been paid, Francesca said she “will never forget your kindness and will continue blasting your music forever (just at a safer speed). I’ve never been more grateful or felt less deserving.”

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Woman Calls Police After Mistaking Patio Umbrella For Suicidal Person

Twitter Casey McCormick

A woman in New York has been praised by police for alerting them to a possible suicide attempt after she mistook a closed umbrella for a person wearing a "Handmaid's Tale" costume. Casey McCormick tweeted she thought she saw “a woman dressed as a handmaid about to jump from a building” and called 911.

The sighting turned out to be a table umbrella which, from a distance, looked much like a handmaid from the seminal Margaret Atwood novel "The Handmaid’s Tale".

The New York Police Department’s news account made it clear on Twitter that McCormick had done the right thing in alerting the authorities.

“Blessed be the umbrella. Thank you Casey and the @POPSUGAR team for alerting us to this crime, glad we could save the day,” they tweeted. “Jokes aside, if you’re ever hesitant about calling 911 – don’t be! We take all calls seriously, and worse case we get to go home with a great story.”

“Better safe than sorry!” one Twitter user replied.

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Jada Pinkett Smith Admits She Had An 'Unhealthy Relationship' With Porn

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/GettyImages

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith opened up about her addiction to porn before starting a relationship with current husband Will Smith.

The conversation centered on the subject of pornography and its affect on relationships on Monday's episode of Red Table Talks on Facebook.

The discussion began backstage with her daughter Willow and mother Adrienne Banfield Norris when Smith said that 40 million people watch porn on a daily basis.

"Back in the day I had a little porn addiction," the 47-year-old admitted, but emphasized, "I wasn't in a relationship when I had a porn addiction, believe it or not, thank goodness."

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