Editorial: Tech giants need to quash bogus conversion therapy disinformation
ebar.comTwo new reports by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism show that the giant tech and social media companies are failing to block conversion therapy disinformation.
The reports "Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem: Online Search Algorithms Allow Access to Anti-LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Providers and Other Harmful Materials, Especially in Non-English Languages," and "Conversion Therapy Online: The Players: Anti-LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Proponents Who Wrongly Believe That Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Can and Should Be Changed Have Found A Home Online" were published by GPAHE earlier this month.
Conversion therapy attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The practice is widely debunked by the United Nations and medical associations around the world, with some organizations denouncing it as a form of "torture." As we reported January 13 online, the Ecosystem report found the internet is filled with disinformation, especially in languages other than English.
It looked at Alphabet Inc.'s Google and YouTube; Meta's Facebook and Instagram; Twitter; Microsoft's Bing; and Amazon's Silk and Alexa.
