Ivermectin misinformation has poisoned Amazon’s platform, with few fixes planned

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Earlier this week, I started a search on Amazon and mistyped, entering just two letters in: “iv.” Amazon then helpfully compiled a list of suggested search results, almost all of which were for the horse de-worming version of the drug ivermectin. That drug is at the center of one of the more recent and more mind-boggling parts of the anti-vaccine misinformation story, a false cure touted by hucksters and others out to make a quick buck.

This evening, Amazon spokesperson Craig Andrews tells The Verge that “Amazon’s autocomplete responses are driven by customer activity. We are blocking certain autocomplete responses to address these concerns.”

Like Facebook, TikTok, and Reddit, Amazon has not gotten a lid on limiting the spread of...

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source https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/1/22651653/amazon-ivermectin-misinformation-autocomplete

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