UW study finds Amazon promotes vaccine lies, especially to already misinformed users

[TexasTowelie]

Findings from University of Washington researchers’ audit of Amazon algorithms point to a dire situation: The tech giant’s search engine promotes misinformation about vaccines.

The consequences, researchers fear, could prevent the United States from controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Achieving herd immunity requires the vast majority of the population to get vaccinated, said Prerna Juneja, the doctoral student at UW’s Information School who authored the study with Tanu Mitra, a UW professor of social computing.

If some people’s reluctance about the COVID-19 vaccine is reinforced through Amazon or social media, she said those companies have a social responsibility to intervene.

Read more: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jan/29/uw-study-finds-amazon-promotes-vaccine-lies-especi/
(Spokane Spokesman-Review)

[whistler162]

1. I think no one told the "researchers" that

Amazon search algorithms are lousy no matter the subject.

[Klaralven]

5. Amazon's search algorithms are good for finding a book you already know you want

Otherwise, not so much. Amazon's book and video recommendations based tend to be crap.

[Duppers]

2. K & R

Thanks for this, TT. 👍

[TexasTowelie]

3. You're welcome

and thanks for suggesting that I post the thread here since I had it in the Washington Group earlier.

[Mike 03]

4. This is a problem with respect to many subjects

When you look for books on "Climate Change," a large number of them are written by climate deniers.

If you want to research WW2 or Hitler, a lot of garbage comes up, including the work of discredited "historians" who deny or mitigate the Holocaust, or books claiming Hitler survived and fled to Argentina (there are A LOT of those). Books claiming Anne Frank never existed or that her diary is a hoax...

Or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is another case that comes to mind where many books come up that deny it exists, "It's all in your head", etc...

And don't get me started on the QAnon books...

And if you look at one of the dishonest books, either to see what's out there or out of not knowing what it is, then those types of books begin to be recommended to you.