YouTube will be banning all deliberately misleading anti-vaccination content and will be targeting prominent anti-vaxx content creators.
The video platform is cracking down hard on misinformation as the world tries to vaccinate as many people as possible to give the coronavirus pandemic the boot.
The website introduced a ban on incorrect vaccine videos last year, which resulted in 130,000 clips being taken down.
Advert
However, they are now upping the ante to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
YouTube will now be banning any video that claims an approved vaccine is dangerous or causes chronic health problems.
They will also be targeting clips that promote misinformation about what is actually inside vaccines, which some anti-vaxxers do in an attempt to confuse viewers about the truth.
Advert
YouTube said in a statement: "We've steadily seen false claims about the coronavirus vaccines spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general, and we're now at a point where it's more important than ever to expand the work we started with COVID-19 to other vaccines.
"Specifically, content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.
"This would include content that falsely says that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that substances in vaccines can track those who receive them.
"Our policies not only cover specific routine immunisations like for measles or Hepatitis B, but also apply to general statements about vaccines."
Advert
The website will have some exceptions to their bans and will permit videos that will allow content creators to make clips about 'vaccine policies, new vaccine trials and historical vaccine successes or failures'.
People will also be able to recount personal testimonies of their experiences with vaccines.
They added: "Today's policy update is an important step to address vaccine and health misinformation on our platform, and we'll continue to invest across the board in the policies and products that bring high-quality information to our viewers and the entire YouTube community."
Advert
YouTube will also be removing the channels belonging to 'several well-known vaccine misinformation spreaders'.
One of the accounts belongs to the Children's Health Defense Fund, which is a group associated with anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Kennedy has slammed the decision, telling CNN Business in a statement: "There is no instance in history when censorship has been beneficial for either democracy or public health."
Featured Image Credit: Alamy