A Maine doctor has been suspended by Instagram after spreading false information.
Christiane Northrup, a retired gynecologist who has written a number of acclaimed books on women’s health, has claimed that COVID-19 vaccines will make women infertile, change people’s DNA and contain tracking devices.
Northrup has garnered attention from federal officials, and is one of the “disinformation dozen” that has been identified by the Center for Confronting Digital Hate, according to the newspaper.
The “disinformation dozen” is made up of individuals who have actively tried to downplay the coronavirus pandemic by providing falsified and non-medical information about COVID-19.
This group has generated approximately 65 percent of the anti-vaccine content available online and 73 percent of the anti-vaccine content shared on Facebook, according to the Center for Confronting Digital Hate.
Northrup has been implicated in helping the 26-minute “Plandemic” conspiracy video go viral, the Press Herald reported.
This comes as COVID-19 vaccine misinformation continues to spread on social media.
Leading platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have worked to combat misinformation in the wake of a turbulent 2020 election cycle and a global pandemic, but many issues still exist. An investigation by the Associated Press showed dozens of Facebook and Instagram accounts with millions of followers continue to host false information.
While Northrup can no longer access her Instagram account, her Facebook and Twitter accounts remain active.