Instagram removed the account of prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the highest-profile steps in parent company Facebook Inc.’s intensifying effort to combat false and misleading information about Covid-19.
An Instagram spokeswoman said Wednesday that the company permanently removed the account “for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.” Mr. Kennedy had more than 800,000 followers on Instagram before the account was closed, according to the company.
Mr. Kennedy couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Facebook declined to say which specific posts on Instagram prompted its move.
Mr. Kennedy’s Facebook page, which has more than 300,000 followers and where he also has posted criticism of vaccines, was still up as of Thursday. The spokeswoman said Facebook doesn’t automatically disable accounts across its different apps when it takes enforcement actions, and that while the theme of posts could be similar across platforms the specific content that violates its policies might be different.
