Dear Friend,

Health misinformation can harm people's physical and mental health, and delay the provision of care. There is mounting evidence on the impact that it can have, including illness and death from unsafe health interventions and communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases. 

That’s what Full Fact told the Government last week, when we wrote to them challenging the failure of the proposed Online Safety Bill to properly tackle health misinformation. We were joined by leading doctors, healthcare institutions and health charities. 

Help prevent harm from health misinformation with a regular gift.

Our letter followed the publication of our ground-breaking report, Online health misinformation in the UK (1), which details the way bad health misinformation spreads and the real-world impact it has. 

The report concludes that to protect the future of our healthcare system, internet companies must have  meaningful ways of dealing with health misinformation on their platforms. So, last month, we worked alongside former health minister Lord Bethell who tabled an Amendment to the Bill. If included, the Amendment would ensure that internet companies have duties to act and better protect their users from the threat of harmful health misinformation. 

We want to see legislation that tackles the harm posed by bad information online, while strengthening our freedom of expression. Please support Full Fact’s rigorous policy work today.

Health misinformation comes in many forms: dangerous alternative cancer treatments or questionable data on the risks of taking statins. Misleading posts can prevent parents from vaccinating their children. False claims can create mistrust of health professionals and systems and make people consider whether to stop taking their prescribed medication for mental health conditions. 

At Full Fact we work to reduce the risk of health misinformation. And, as a registered charity, income from monthly Direct Debits means we can plan this work effectively. It allows us to not only engage with politicians and suggest amendments to legislation, but to back that up with considered, meticulous research powered by our fact checking work. We’re tackling both the impacts and the causes of health misinformation. Please join us with a regular gift today, and help us put a stop to the harm it causes.