The Stop Mandatory Vaccination website and associated

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

group are some of the major hubs of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

anti-vaccination movement. It was established by anti-vaccination activist Larry Cook in 2015.

Reach

The total membership of the public

page and the private group reached 360,000 before it got closed down in November 2020. The website is owned by Larry Cook, who describes himself as a "healthy lifestyle advocate." A former sound technician and Executive Director of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association, he first used social media platforms to promote conspiracy theories and ineffective treatments for

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

before he became a leader of the anti-vaccination movement although he has no medical background. He created the site in 2015, in reaction to California limiting exemptions to vaccination requirements in schools. Members used the Facebook group to disseminate

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

, for example stating that news about

epidemics An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectiou ...

are manufactured by governments to incite people to

vaccinate A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

, that the public health measures taken to minimize the impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

aim at preparing mass forced vaccination or that the 1918 influenza epidemic was caused by vaccines. During the

, Cook used the group to oppose mask-wearing legislation in certain situations. Cook wrote that opposing mask-wearing is a precondition to opposing COVID-19 vaccines when they would become available. Both Facebook and Twitter removed the Stop Mandatory Vaccination accounts from their platform in November 2020, as part of their measures to limit the spread of

QAnon QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...

misinformation. After losing his Facebook presence, Cook created a website specifically about COVID-19, Qanon and parenting, but it has been growing slowly. During the

2022 monkeypox outbreak An ongoing outbreak of monkeypox, a viral disease, was confirmed in May 2022. The initial cluster of cases was found in the United Kingdom, where the first case was detected in London on 6 May 2022 in a patient with a recent travel his ...

, Cook used his constellation of social media channels to spreads misinformation about the disease.

Interaction with grieving parents

The Facebook group was at the center of a controversy over the death of a four-year-old boy whose mother asked for advice from group members, rather than getting the

Tamiflu Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, is an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and influenza B, viruses that cause the flu. Many medical organizations recommend it in people who have complications or are at hi ...

that she had been prescribed by a health professional for a bout of

Influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...

that left him

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

ish and experiencing

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with lo ...

s. The advice that she received pointed to various ineffective treatments popular with naturopaths, such as

breastmilk Breast milk (sometimes spelled as breastmilk) or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns, containing fat, protein, carbohydrates ( lacto ...

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus '' Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

, and

elderberry ''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due to ge ...

. The child was later hospitalized and died. Along with other anti-vaccination activists like

Andrew Wakefield Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born September 3, 1956) is a British anti-vaccine activist, former physician, and discredited academic who was struck off the medical register for his involvement in ''The Lancet'' MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that ...

and

Del Bigtree Del Matthew Bigtree is an American television and film producer as well as CEO of the anti-vaccination group Informed Consent Action Network. He produced the film '' Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe'', based on the discredited opinions o ...

, he seeks to use testimonies of parents who lost young children to causes such as

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

and accidental

asphyxiation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...

but became convinced that vaccines were really to blame for the tragedy. Stop Mandatory Vaccination circulates a number of those stories, which are highly effective at growing both the revenues of both the anti-vaccination movement and the website. In some cases, grieving parents are contacted online by anti-vaccination activists, who suggest their infant's death to be linked to vaccination, and they then share links to the website or Facebook group. The Facebook group has been used by anti-vaccination activists to identify and issue threats against parents who encourage other parents to have their children vaccinated and to feed intimidation campaigns, which are waged on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

. Grieving parents who discuss how their children died from complication of preventable diseases such as

the flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

report intimidation by anti-vaccination activists. Doctors who promote vaccination online are also targeted. Cook says that he does not condone such attacks, but people promoting vaccination "can expect push back and resistance." In 2020, Cook created a more overtly-political group, Medical Freedom Patriots. The anti-vaccine group supports the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

and aims at putting pressure on elected officials by mobilizing a far-right target audience. Cook claims that he received threats because of his online activities and that members of the Facebook group were visited by police officers.

Funding and advertising

Cook funds the site by donations, advertising, and the sales of his own book and of t-shirts. Since 2015, he has raised more than $100,000 through

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...

campaigns, which he used to buy Facebook ads bringing parents to his Facebook group. Other donations come in through

PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...

, website advertising, and his

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

storefront, where he gets a portion of the sales of the anti-vaccination literature that he recommends. In 2019, revenue from his

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

account dried up since the company stopped running advertising on anti-vaccination videos, and he had to find other platforms after GoFundMe canceled his account. Cook advertises that donations fund anti-vaccination initiatives, but the money is directed to his personal bank account and serves to pay his personal expenses. A study found that Stop Mandatory Vaccination was one of the major buyers of anti-vaccine Facebook advertising in December 2018 and February 2019, the other being Children's Health Defense. Heavily targeting women and young couples, the advertising campaign highlighted the alleged risks of vaccines and asked for donations. Advertising purchases by both groups contribute to

vaccine hesitancy Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...

and ultimately to epidemics. According to an analysis by

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's v ...

, the group is one of three major sources of false claims on vaccination shared on the internet, the others being both the fake news site

Natural News Natural News (formerly NewsTarget, which is now a separate sister site) is a far-right, anti-vaccination conspiracy theory and fake news website known for promoting alternative medicine, pseudoscience, disinformation, and far-right extremism. ...

and Children's Health Defense. In 2018, after it followed up on a parent complaint, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Advertising Standards Authority had Facebook ads from Stop Mandatory Vaccination taken down for making misleading claims and causing "undue distress." The messages said that vaccines kill children and that doctors often report those death as sudden infant death syndrome.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{Cite news, last=Zadrozny, first=Brandy, author-link=Brandy Zadrozny, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/facebook-anti-vaxxers-pushed-mom-not-give-her-son-tamiflu-n1131936, title=On Facebook, anti-vaxxers urged a mom not to give her son Tamiflu. He later died., date=2020-02-06, work=NBC News, access-date=2020-02-12, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212162307/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/facebook-anti-vaxxers-pushed-mom-not-give-her-son-tamiflu-n1131936, archive-date=2020-02-12 {{Cite news, last=Petkovic, first=Dusan, url=https://www.newsweek.com/boy-dies-flu-anti-vaccine-facebook-group-1486303, title=Colorado boy dies of flu after mom tries anti-vaccine Facebook group suggestions to use elderberries and thyme instead of doctor's flu medicine, date=2020-02-10, work=Newsweek, access-date=2020-02-12 {{Cite news, last1=Zadrozny, first1=Brandy, author-link1=Brandy Zadrozny, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/how-anti-vaxxers-target-grieving-moms-turn-them-crusaders-n1057566, title=How anti-vaxxers target grieving moms and turn them into crusaders against vaccines, date=2019-09-24, work=NBC News, access-date=2020-02-12, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212190650/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/how-anti-vaxxers-target-grieving-moms-turn-them-crusaders-n1057566, archive-date=2020-02-12, last2=Nadi, first2=Aliza {{Cite web, url=https://www.fatherly.com/news/meet-larry-cook-the-villain-behind-the-facebook-anti-vaxx-scandal/, title=Meet Larry Cook, the Villain Behind the Facebook Anti-Vaxx Scandal, last=Francis, first=Lizzy, date=2020-02-11, website=Fatherly, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212202550/https://www.fatherly.com/news/meet-larry-cook-the-villain-behind-the-facebook-anti-vaxx-scandal/, archive-date=2020-02-12, access-date=2020-02-12 {{Cite news, last=Carrie Wong, first=Julia, url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/05/revealed-amazonsmile-helps-fund-anti-vaccine-groups, title=Revealed: AmazonSmile helps fund anti-vaccine groups, date=2019-03-05, work=The Guardian, access-date=2020-02-12, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212214104/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/05/revealed-amazonsmile-helps-fund-anti-vaccine-groups, archive-date=2020-02-12 {{Cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/social-media-hosted-lot-fake-health-news-year-here-s-n1107466?fbclid=IwAR0GCku8CfcjlrLrWlRGXRZpYDbjLFZCTTenvpm1TXhG_Fin8kSOmA6NfrY, title=Social media hosted a lot of fake health news this year. Here's what went most viral., last=Zadrozny, first=Brandy, author-link=Brandy Zadrozny, date=2019-12-29, work=NBC News, access-date=2020-01-03, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103100206/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/social-media-hosted-lot-fake-health-news-year-here-s-n1107466?fbclid=IwAR0GCku8CfcjlrLrWlRGXRZpYDbjLFZCTTenvpm1TXhG_Fin8kSOmA6NfrY, archive-date=2020-01-03 {{Cite journal, last1=Jamison, first1=A.M., last2=Broniatowski, first2=D. A., last3=Dredze, first3=M., date=November 13, 2019, title=Vaccine-related advertising in the Facebook Ad Archive, url= , journal=Vaccine, volume=38, issue=3, pages=512–520, doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.066, pmid=31732327, pmc=6954281 {{Cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/11/15/majority-anti-vaccine-ads-facebook-were-funded-by-two-groups/, title=Majority of anti-vaccine ads on Facebook were funded by two groups, last=Sun, first=Lena H., date=November 15, 2019, newspaper=Washington Post, access-date=November 16, 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117003403/https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/11/15/majority-anti-vaccine-ads-facebook-were-funded-by-two-groups/, archive-date=November 17, 2019 {{Cite web, url=https://www.larrydcook.com/about/, title=Larry Cook - About, last=, first=, date=, website=Stop Mandatory Vaccination, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227145945/https://www.larrydcook.com/about/, archive-date=2020-02-27, access-date=2020-02-27 {{Cite web, url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/shots-heard-when-the-antivaccine-movement-swarms-and-harasses-on-social-media-what-can-we-do/, title=Shots Heard: When the antivaccine movement swarms and harasses on social media, what can we do?, last=Gorski, first=David, authorlink= David Gorski, date=2019-03-25, website=Science-Based Medicine, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228161148/https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/shots-heard-when-the-antivaccine-movement-swarms-and-harasses-on-social-media-what-can-we-do/, archive-date=2020-02-28, access-date=2020-02-28 {{Cite news, last=Schmidt, first=Madeleine, url=https://coloradotimesrecorder.com/2020/02/anti-vax-facebook-group-told-co-mom-to-give-son-elderberries-instead-of-tamiflu-days-later-he-died/21138/, title=Anti-Vax Facebook Group Told CO Mom to Give Son Elderberries Instead of Tamiflu. Days Later He Died., date=2020-02-06, work=Colorado Times Recorder, access-date=2020-02-28 {{Cite news, last1=Cohen, first1=Elizabeth, url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/health/anti-vax-harassment-eprise/index.html, title=Her son died. And then anti-vaxers attacked her, date=2019-03-21, work=CNN Health, access-date=2020-03-01, quote=I do not condone violent behavior or tone and encourage decorum during discussion, Cook wrote, adding that anyone who deliberately engage in the politics of advocating for compulsory vaccination where children may be further damaged through government vaccine mandates can expect push back and resistance, alongside knowledgeable discussions about vaccine risk in social media commentary., url-status=live, last2=Bonifield, first2=John, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301185145/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/19/health/anti-vax-harassment-eprise/index.html, archive-date=2020-03-01 {{Cite news, last=Carbone, first=Christopher, url=https://www.foxnews.com/tech/doctors-on-facebook-face-harassment-from-anti-vaxxers, title=Doctors on Facebook face harassment from anti-vaxxers, date=2019-02-28, work=Fox News, access-date=2020-03-01, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301192131/https://www.foxnews.com/tech/doctors-on-facebook-face-harassment-from-anti-vaxxers, archive-date=2020-03-01 {{Cite news, last=Barnes, first=Tom, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-vaccination-antivaxxers-uk-advert-banned-facebook-post-vaccines-kill-babies-a8620831.html, title=Anti-vaccination campaign's advert banned for claiming all vaccines can kill children, date=2018-11-07, work=The Independent, access-date=2020-03-01, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301192538/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-vaccination-antivaxxers-uk-advert-banned-facebook-post-vaccines-kill-babies-a8620831.html, archive-date=2020-03-01 {{Cite web, url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114075544.htm, title=Inoculating against the spread of viral misinformation, last=, first=, date=2019-11-14, website=Science Daily, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301210331/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114075544.htm, archive-date=2020-03-01, access-date=2020-03-01 {{Cite web, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-vaccines-caused-1918-influe/false-claim-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-was-caused-by-vaccines-idUSKBN21J6X2, title=False claim: the 1918 influenza pandemic was caused by vaccines, last=, first=, date=2020-04-01, website=Reuters, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417164436/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-vaccines-caused-1918-influe/false-claim-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-was-caused-by-vaccines-idUSKBN21J6X2, archive-date=2020-04-17, access-date=2020-04-17 {{Cite web, url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/how-the-anti-vaccine-community-is-responding-to-covid-19/, title=How the anti-vaccine community is responding to COVID-19, last=Gammon, first=Katarine, date=2020-04-16, website=Ars Technica, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418193406/https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/how-the-anti-vaccine-community-is-responding-to-covid-19/?comments=1, archive-date=2020-04-18, access-date=2020-04-18 {{Cite news, last=Wiley, first=Hannah, date=26 June 2020, title='No masks. No vaccines.' Battle is brewing over coronavirus immunizations in California, work=Sacramento Bee, url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243381501.html, url-status=live, access-date=1 July 2020, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702001910/https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243381501.html, archive-date=2 July 2020 {{Cite news, last=Butlet, first=Kiera, date=18 June 2020, title=The Anti-Vax Movement's Radical Shift From Crunchy Granola Purists to Far-Right Crusaders, work=Mother Jones, url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/the-anti-vax-movements-radical-shift-from-crunchy-granola-purists-to-far-right-crusaders/, access-date=1 July 2020 {{Cite news, last=Sulleyman, first=Aatif, date=18 November 2020, title=Facebook Bans One of the Anti-Vaccine Movement's Biggest Groups for Violating QAnon Rules, work=Newsweek, url=https://www.newsweek.com/facebook-bans-anti-vaccine-group-violating-qanon-rules-1548408, url-status=live, access-date=19 November 2020, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119110539/https://www.newsweek.com/facebook-bans-anti-vaccine-group-violating-qanon-rules-1548408, archive-date=19 November 2020 {{Cite magazine, last=Dickinson, first=Tim, date=10 February 2021, title=How the Anti-Vaxxers Got Red-Pilled, magazine=Rolling Stone, url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-anti-vax-covid-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-1125197/?fbclid=IwAR3XTBC57Puz1NkSojOciyxI-oM-JVDzJDswlUjw6KZvMIihuGf8ZWN8x60, url-status=live, access-date=12 February 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212203954/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-anti-vax-covid-vaccine-conspiracy-theory-1125197/, archive-date=12 February 2021 {{Cite web, date=June 1, 2021, title=Pandemic Profiteers, url=https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_5311113400604e00b8ed2a4746021de8.pdf, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602180845/https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_5311113400604e00b8ed2a4746021de8.pdf, archive-date=2 June 2021, access-date=3 June 2021, website= Center for Countering Digital Hate, publisher=Center for Countering Digital Hate {{Cite web, last=Cook, first=Larry, title=COVID-19 Refusers, url=https://www.covid19refusers.com/forums/, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115150643/https://www.covid19refusers.com/forums/, archive-date=15 January 2021, access-date=8 June 2021, website=COVID-19 Refusers {{Cite news , last=Velasquez-Manoff , first=Moises , date=25 May 2022 , title=The Anti-Vaccine Movement's New Frontier , work=The New York Times Magazine , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/magazine/anti-vaccine-movement.html , access-date=29 July 2022 {{Cite news , last=Merlan , first=Anna , date=25 May 2022 , title=Anti-Vaxxers Vow Not to Protect Themselves From Monkeypox , work=Vice , url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/epx8pw/stealth-omicron-china-covid-outbreak-jilin-lockdown , url-status=live , access-date=28 July 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316114000/https://www.vice.com/en/article/epx8pw/stealth-omicron-china-covid-outbreak-jilin-lockdown , archive-date=16 March 2022 Anti-vaccination organizations Autism pseudoscience Anti-vaccination in the United States