Instagram Stories Sticker Link Turns Out To Be A Vaccine Misinformation Nest

Instagram's Stories feature has now become one of the new hotbeds of anti-vaccines dubbed anti-vaxxers. (photo: doc. instagram)

JAKARTA - Social media is currently being diligent in cleaning up misinformation that is being disseminated by anti-vaccines. But where did the movement go?

According to a recent report from Media Matters, Instagram's Stories feature is now one of the new hotbeds of anti-vaccines dubbed anti-vaxxers.

The report reveals that there are dozens of anti-vaxxers who use the Stories feature to promote events, sell products and even direct Instagram users to their alternative social media platforms, where they are not banned.

One specific feature that the Media Matters report focuses on is the sticker link, which Instagram rolled out to all of its users late last year.

The link sticker gives users the ability to add links to third-party websites to their Stories content.

For years, Instagram didn't allow uploading links outside of the platform, other than the one that users were allowed to add to their profile page.

With sticker links, it finally gives users that functionality, as well as gives anti-vaxxers a way to profit from their accounts.

According to Instagram's terms of service, the platform will remove an account's ability to post sticker links if they repeatedly share things like hate speech and misinformation, or other content that violates the company's Community Guidelines.

However, because Instagram Stories are temporary, aka uploaded content disappears after 24 hours, anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and malicious users can spread misinformation and malicious links to their followers before they can be reported.

Additionally, some anti-vaxxers who employ this method on Instagram use backup accounts which they realize may be temporary.

Providing suspensions, feature removals, or other penalties for violating Instagram policies may work for most well-meaning users, but anti-vaxxers are not well-behaved.

Many have circumvented the ban and used strictly regulated accounts to spread anti-vaxxers misinformation through Instagram Stories and link sticker links as soon as possible before their latest Instagram account was also shut down.

According to Mashable, Friday, January 28, Instagram has struggled for years in dealing with anti-vaxxers on their platform. The company has taken several measures against anti-vaccine misinformation, such as banning anti-vaxxer-related hashtags, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stories and sticker links used to spread anti-vaccine misinformation are just another example of how anti-vaxxers will use whatever tools they have to share what they know, regardless of the truth.