On September 28, 2020, CHD’s Facebook page attempted to link to an article from the South China Morning Post (SCMP) concerning breastfeeding and coronavirus (Figure 1), adding the header: New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding. Information in the article was apparently checked by Facebook (and it is unclear whether a third-party fact-checker was also involved).

Contested claim: Breastfeeding could help fight coronavirus (SCMP, 200928 [perma] citing Fan et al., 2020)

Fact-check verdict: No fact-check (apparently)

Facebook action: Misinformation (200928)

Context: Facebook apparently blocked the post, implying CHD’s header (“New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding”) and/or the linked article by SCMP contained “misinformation” (Figure 2). (It is unclear whether a third-party fact-checker was also involved.) The Oxford English Dictionary defines misinformation as “2. Wrong or misleading information” (OED).

Verdict detail: “Your post goes against our Community Standards…We have these standards because misinformation that could cause physical harm can make some people feel unsafe on Facebook” (FB, 200928).

Supported: The SCMP article discussed research in Beijing on the effect of human breastmilk on cells exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in which the milk killed most living virus strains: “Here we present for the first time that whey protein from human breastmilk effectively inhibited both SARS-CoV-2 … by blocking viral attachment and viral replication at entry and even post entry” (Fan et al., 2020).

Facebook apparently blocked CHD’s post, implying CHD’s header (“New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding”) and/or the linked article by the South China Morning Post contained “misinformation” (Figure 2; SCMP, 2020).

It is difficult to determine how the article or the cited study goes against Facebook’s Community Standards, especially considering the CDC (CDC, 2024) and WHO’s official stance is that mothers should continue to breastfeed even if they have COVID-19: “The WHO recommends that mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate or continue to breastfeed” (WHO, 2020). “At this point it appears that COVID-19 in infants and children represents a much lower threat to survival and health than other infections that breastfeeding is protective against. The benefits of breastfeeding and nurturing mother-infant interaction to prevent infection and promote health and development are especially important when health and other community services are themselves disrupted or limited.”

Assessment highlights:

• CHD attempted to post a link to an article about breastfeeding and coronavirus, adding the header: New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding. Facebook blocked this post and stated that the article went against Community Standards. They wrote, “We have these standards because misinformation that could cause physical harm can make some people feel unsafe on Facebook.”
• “At no point did Facebook identify any misinformation in the article or indicate what harm it threatened to cause” (CHD vs Facebook Complaint, 201113)
• The SCMP article discussed research in Beijing on the effect of human breastmilk on cells exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in which the milk killed most living virus strains: “Here we present for the first time that whey protein from human breastmilk effectively inhibited both SARS-CoV-2 … by blocking viral attachment and viral replication at entry and even post entry” (Fan et al., 2020).

CHD filed a lawsuit claiming that Facebook, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and associated fact-checking organizations unfairly targeted and censored their content. The lawsuit alleges that this censorship violated CHD’s constitutional rights by collaborating with government entities to suppress free speech, falsely labeling CHD’s content as misinformation, engaging in deceptive and coordinated efforts to discredit their work, and causing significant reputational and financial harm. The following excerpt is taken from CHD’s 2020 complaint document.

Respondent: CHD (CHD vs Facebook Complaint, 201113)

• 4.167 | On September 28th, 2020, CHD attempted to post a link to an article about breastfeeding and coronavirus, adding the header: New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding. Facebook blocked this post and stated that the article went against Community Standards. They wrote, “We have these standards because misinformation that could cause physical harm can make some people feel unsafe on Facebook.”
• 4.168 | At no point did Facebook identify any misinformation in the article or indicate what harm it threatened to cause. The article discussed research in Beijing on the effect of human breast milk on cells exposed to the Sars-CoV-2 virus in which most living virus strains were killed by the milk. That this article could actually contravene any genuine set of “Community Standards” is difficult to fathom considering that the WHO official stance is that mothers should continue to breastfeed even if they have Covid-19. Given the historical suppression of the health benefits of breastfeeding influenced by financially interested parties such as the infant formula industry, this censorship is particularly outrageous. Out of concern that their Facebook page would be taken down entirely, CHD did not attempt to repost the article. Defendants were aware, or acted in reckless disregard, of these and other specific falsities in their “Community Standards” notice, but posted it on CHD’s page nonetheless, in furtherance of their fraudulent scheme.

Highlights:

• The SCMP article discussed research in Beijing on the effect of human breastmilk on cells exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in which the milk killed most living virus strains
• Facebook apparently blocked CHD’s post, implying CHD’s header (“New research suggests there may be yet another health benefit associated with breastfeeding”) and/or the linked article by the South China Morning Post contained “misinformation” (Figure 2; SCMP, 2020; perma).
• “At no point did Facebook identify any misinformation in the article or indicate what harm it threatened to cause” (CHD vs Facebook Complaint, 201113)