Researchers found that the more Amazon customers engaged with products like books and e-books promoting anti-vaccine misinformation, the more Amazon's algorithms recommended similar misinformative products to them. — Sipa USA/TNS
SEATTLE: As vaccine misinformation has prompted some to say they will refuse to be inoculated against the coronavirus, the world’s largest online retailer remains a hotbed for anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, according to a new study by University of Washington researchers.
Amazon’s search algorithm boosts books promoting false claims about vaccines over those that debunk health misinformation, the researchers found – and as customers engage with products espousing bogus science, Amazon’s recommendation algorithms point them to additional health misinformation.
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