Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Group that spread false Covid claims doubled Facebook interactions in six months

Group that spread false Covid claims doubled Facebook interactions in six months

Revelations about World Doctors Alliance pages raise questions about platform’s efforts to control misinformation

An international pressure group that spread false and conspiratorial claims about Covid-19 more than doubled the average number of interactions it got on Facebook in the first six months of 2021 in spite of renewed efforts to curb misinformation on the platform, according to a report.

Pages owned by the World Doctors Alliance – a group of current and former medical professionals and academics from seven countries – received 617,000 interactions in June 2021, up from 255,000 in January, according to a six-month rolling average.

The figures are revealed in a report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which raises fresh questions for Facebook after the whistleblower Frances Haugen claimed that the company knew its products were damaging the mental health of teenage girls and fanning the flames of ethnic violence in Ethiopia.

The World Doctors Alliance includes prominent members who have falsely claimed Covid-19 is a hoax and that vaccines cause widespread harm. Researchers found members “used their qualifications to lend a veneer of credibility to claims that have been proven to be false and often dangerous”.


Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said: “Facebook’s attempts to control the epidemic of misleading information on its platforms are nothing more than performative PR exercises.

“It has had more than a decade to get a handle on the rampant misinformation which has flooded its platforms. But the systems in place fall a long way short of the mark, as this research clearly demonstrates.

“With each new revelation of Facebook’s institutional failure to act, we move closer to social media’s so-called ‘big tobacco moment’, when it is forced to finally take responsibility for the demonstrable harms caused by their products.”

In March 2020, the World Doctors Alliance had a combined following on Facebook of about 4,000 users. This had increased to more than 460,000 by June this year. The increase was mostly driven by the two most prominent members of the group: Dr Dolores Cahill, a former professor at University College Dublin, and Dr Scott Jensen, a former state senator from Minnesota.

Jensen drew international attention after he said extra payments for Covid patients created an incentive for doctors to inflate patient numbers, despite no evidence of fraudulent reporting, according to a USA Today factcheck. Donald Trump then amplified this claim on the campaign trail in 2020.

Cahill, who until March was the chairperson of the rightwing Eurosceptic Irish Freedom party, has claimed Covid-19 vaccines will cause widespread harm and death. Cahill has also claimed that masks and social distancing measures are unnecessary because Covid-19 can be treated with “nutrition, vitamins and hydroxychloroquine”.

British members of the group include Dr Mohammad Adil, an NHS surgeon who was suspended by the General Medical Council after claiming Covid-19 was a hoax.


Researchers took a sample of the 50 most popular posts from Alliance members, and categorised them into different narratives. They found the most popular claims were “conspiratorial in nature, implying some sort of overarching ‘master plan’ involving world governments, the media and healthcare authorities”.

The ISD also found serious shortcomings in Facebook’s factchecking programme, particularly regarding content in languages other than English.

One part of the company’s strategy for dealing with misinformation involves using third-party organisations to add context to misleading claims. However, a review of the 50 most popular mentioning the World Doctors Alliance revealed that just 13% of English-language posts containing false or misleading content carried a factcheck label.

In languages other than English, the proportion was even lower: 8% of German posts, 5% of Spanish posts and just 2% of Arabic posts.

Aoife Gallagher, a researcher at the ISD, said: “The approach to factchecking content one post at a time essentially acts as a plaster on a gushing wound. Many of the influencers in the Covid and vaccine misinformation spaces produce huge amounts of content, making it impossible for factcheckers to keep up with debunking efforts.”

The ISD called on Facebook to take stronger action on “misinformation super-spreaders”, increase resources dedicated to moderation and factchecking in languages other than English, and improve AI technology to assist with moderation.

A spokesperson for Facebook said it had removed the parent group for the World Doctors’ Alliance, World Freedom Alliance, in July, as well as removing 200m pieces of misinformation during the pandemic.

The spokesperson said: “Since the pandemic began, our goal has been to promote reliable information about Covid-19, take more aggressive action against misinformation, and encourage people to get vaccinated.”

The World Doctors Alliance did not respond to a request for comment.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×