Indiegogo bans anti-vaxxers from fundraising on its platform

Indiegogo, the crowdfunding startup popular with filmmakers and other creatives, is banning anti-vaxxers from its platform.

According to BuzzFeed News, the company will “no longer allow anti-vaccine fundraisers or any projects making health claims that do not have a scientific backing.” The policy change comes after the sequel to a well-known anti-vaccination film raised funds on the Indiegogo platform.

The filmmakers behind Vaxxed II: The People's Truth recently raised $86,543 on the site. Because Indiegogo’s new policy wasn’t in effect at the time, the company will disperse the funds, minus the company’s cut, to the filmmakers. The new policy will bar future anti-vaxxer projects from crowdfunding.

Amid a growing measles crisis in the U.S. due to vaccination misinformation, tech companies are taking a stand against the anti-vaxxer movement. Last month, another crowdfunding website, GoFundMe, also made the decision to ban anti-vaccination fundraisers from its platform. Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook have also made moves to stop false science about vaccines from spreading on their respective platforms.

Vaxxed II: The People's Truth is a sequel to the much-discussed anti-vaxxer documentary Vaxxed, which has run into its own issues with the tech companies. Amazon pulled the film from its Prime Video service in March.

More people have been infected with measles in 2019 than any year since it was “eradicated” in 2000. There are still seven months left in the year.