Social Media Scams and Vaccine Skepticism Weaponize Public Health
July 29, 2026
From Southeast Asian cyber-scam compounds and Russian-sheltered healthcare fraudsters to Instagram wellness influencers and the MAHA movement's capture of public health policy, unregulated digital platforms are actively monetizing bodily anxiety. Private equity takeovers of NHS patient records and White House pressure on vaccine schedules demonstrate how institutional health systems are being hollowed out by corporate extraction and ideological warfare.
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Wellness Influencers Are Pushing ‘Natural’ and Unproven Alternatives to Adderall
Ads on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are painting prescription stimulants in a negative light while promoting supplements for ADHD that lack evidence.
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Online scam centres fuelling human trafficking worldwide, warns UN agency
IOM chief says victims from more than 80 countries are lured into scam centres through fake job offers on social media.
- geopolitics
- structural power
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Vaccine mis- and disinformation isn’t just a threat to public health, but also to our autonomy
A previously eliminated disease — measles — is resurgent in Canada amid declining vaccination rates It’s occurring at a time, post COVID-19, of increasing polarization with respect to vaccine policies. Meanwhile, overly simplistic notions of autonomy and personal choice are becoming familiar refrain…
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How vaccine skeptics use storytelling effectively to create powerful but medically inaccurate messaging
Vaccine skeptics have been around as long as vaccines have – for more than 200 years. Volanthevist/Moment via Getty Images As long as there have been vaccines, there have been people who doubted their science and safety. Back in 19th-century England, people rioted against a mandatory smallpox vaccin…
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Public Health Needs MAHA
Since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office, more than a year ago, I’ve been trying to understand the MAHA movement from the inside. I’ve sat in on MAHA Institute roundtables, roamed the conference halls of anti-vaccine gatherings, and talked with grassroots supporters across the country. They tell me t…
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ANALYSIS
The Alleged Mastermind of a $2 Billion U.S. Telemedicine Scam Is Enjoying the Luxury Life in Russia
Brian Sutton, accused of masterminding one of the largest fraud schemes to ever be unraveled in the United States, is living freely in Russia. Among his acquisitions there is a fleet of luxury cars, an elite villa near Moscow, and a stake in an MMA club tied to a member of the Russian parliament.
- structural power
- geopolitics
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Satellite Images Reveal How Suspected Scam Compounds Appear Out of Nowhere
Analysis of satellite images of Myanmar shows dozens of alleged scam compounds have appeared in recent months, despite a purported crackdown on the criminal organizations.
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Trump reportedly pushing RFK Jr to cut vaccines more aggressively
White House has halted changing vaccine schedule as it is unpopular, but anti-vaxx Trump set on ‘alleviating autism’ Donald Trump is pushing the longtime vaccine opponent and current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be more aggressive on cutting vaccines in the US, according to reporting fro…
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Alarm at NHS patient records being put under control of US private equity firm
Doctors and MPs urge more scrutiny of £300m deal for company behind system used by most GPs in England UK politics live – latest updates Business live – latest updates A US private equity firm will take control of NHS patient records in a deal experts say should “ring alarm bells” amid concerns sens…
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‘Why do I feel crappy?’: women are learning about their luteal phases - and Maha is weaponizing it
People have found language for moodiest part of their menstrual cycles, and the right has seized on it Emily Rae Detrick, a health coach, wants women to be more in touch with their menstrual cycle in its entirety. This, she said on an October episode of Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, a podcast…