Erin Elizabeth

Last updated

Erin Elizabeth
Erin Elizabeth Selfie.jpg
Erin Elizabeth
Born
Erin Elizabeth Finn

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Alternative health advocate, anti-vaccinationist, blogger
Partner Joseph Mercola

Erin Elizabeth Finn is an American alternative health advocate who blogs under the name Health Nut News. She is known for propagating conspiracy theories relating to healthcare topics like COVID-19 and vaccines. She and her partner Joseph Mercola have been called two of the "disinformation dozen" responsible for 65% of COVID-19 anti-vaccine misinformation on the internet and social media, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in 2021. [1]

Contents

Career

Finn runs a website called Health Nut News. [2] [3]

By February 2019, Pinterest had banned links to Health Nut News for their promotion of false and dangerous health information. [4]

On May 13, 2021, Facebook banned her personal and professional accounts, her 16 groups, and her Instagram accounts. [2] Vice News reported that an unauthorized source at Facebook said that the accounts were banned for "spammy and inauthentic behavior they relied on to build their audience. They misled people about the popularity of their posts and used fake accounts to spam people and evade our enforcement." [2]

YouTube removed her account in September 2021 for breaking its COVID-19 misinformation policies. [5]

The White House also put pressure on social media companies and mentioned the "disinformation dozen", saying "they were responsible for a great deal of misinformation about Covid-19". [6]

Finn has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. [2] [7] She receives affiliate marketing income for promoting disinformation videos. [2]

Personal life

Elizabeth is professionally associated with and the romantic partner of Joseph Mercola, who has been described as "a major funder of the anti-vax movement who has made millions from selling alternative health supplements online." [2] [8] She is based in Ormond Beach, Florida. [9] [10]

References

  1. ↑ Salam, Erum (July 17, 2021). "Majority of Covid misinformation came from 12 people, report finds". The Guardian. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gilbert, David (May 14, 2021). "Facebook Is Finally Doing Something About the Biggest Spreaders of Anti-Vax Lies". Vice. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021. Facebook did not respond to VICE News' request for comment about the takedown but a source at the company who was not authorized to speak on the record said that the accounts were not banned because of the disinformation being shared. The accounts were taken down because of the "spammy and inauthentic behavior they relied on to build their audience. They misled people about the popularity of their posts and used fake accounts to spam people and evade our enforcement," the source said.
  3. ↑ Health Nut News: About Health Nut News
  4. ↑ Wong, Julia (February 28, 2019). "Anti-vaxx 'mobs': doctors face harassment campaigns on Facebook". The Guardian . Erin Elizabeth runs the website Health Nut News, links to which have been banned by Pinterest for consistently promoting harmful health misinformation.
  5. ↑ Alba, Davey (September 29, 2021). "YouTube bans all anti-vaccine misinformation". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ O'Sullivan, Donie (July 16, 2021). "White House turns up heat on Big Tech's Covid 'disinformation dozen'". CNN. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  7. ↑ Frot, Mathilde (April 29, 2021). "Leading anti-vaxx influencers promote Jew-hate to hundreds of thousands". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Whyte, Liz (June 21, 2021). "Spreading vaccine fears. And cashing in. - Meet the influencers making millions by dealing doubt about the coronavirus vaccines". Montana Free Press . The vaccine-skeptical corners of the internet promote the same names again and again: the Bollingers; Dr. Joseph Mercola, who runs a supplement empire while dispatching near-daily anti-vaccine missives; Erin Elizabeth Finn, Mercola's "better half", who markets her own line of extracts and serums while airing vaccine doubts on her Health Nut News platforms;
  9. ↑ Health Nut News, Contact Us
  10. ↑ "Erin Elizabeth Finn". propublica.org. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
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