Anti-vaxxers in France are buying fake vaccine passes online to get around the country’s Covid restrictions, which are often promoted on mainstream social media platforms, research has revealed.
Many buying the forgeries, which can be used across the European Union (EU), are being redirected from websites such as Instagram and Facebook to the Telegram encrypted messenger where they can be bought discreetly, according to a study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).
The report also raised concerns that social media algorithms are automatically directing people disillusioned with the French government’s handling of the pandemic towards far-right online spaces.
ISD’s research coordinator, Zoé Fourel, who led the study, said that while some Facebook groups dedicated to the sale of fake Covid passes had about 1,000 members, there were Instagram accounts with as many as 17,000 followers.
“I think, in terms of platforms, the main issue here is the scale to which this is available and with platforms such as Facebook and Instagram,” she said. “Obviously because they have such a wide audience, they are enabling this content on a larger scale.
“For Instagram, one of the most alarming things we observed was that its algorithm is actually recommending accounts that are offering fake sanitary or vaccination services, so if you are a person who is following a couple of accounts with Covid disinformation or anti-vax content, your algorithm will recommend more accounts offering fake passes.
“There is a really large issue here with the business model and the design of the platform and how it operates.”
France introduced “health passes” during the coronavirus pandemic, which also allowed people to prove their status with a negative lateral flow test, as well as being vaccinated.
But the French government last month gave approval for a vaccine pass that excludes unvaccinated people from restaurants, sports arenas and other venues. That has made acquiring a fake pass, which can be used across the EU member states, more desirable for anti-vaxxers, according to ISD.
Fourel said: “These passes are valid across the EU, so we can see in, for example, a Telegram group that’s dedicated to European far-right movements and there are people selling fake passes. It really is a transnational issue.
“You can be in Italy and sell a fake pass to French people and we have seen people from France being redirected in the comments section to Italian Telegram channels.”
ISD is calling for more accountability for social media companies, including Snapchat, Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – and Telegram, as well as legislation to protect users.
Fourel said the upcoming application of the European Digital Services Act, which aims to tackle the spread of disinformation and illegal content, was “necessary”.
She added: “When it comes to platforms, it’s quite clear that there needs to be more proactivity to take measures to counter the spread of this type of content because clearly, this does violate the policies that are upheld by them.
“There also needs to be more proactivity on behalf of the French government.”
Meta says it prohibits anyone from buying or selling fake, or genuine, medical documents on its platforms, including Covid vaccine certificates. It added that it would remove adverts when identified and disable any accounts, pages or groups that break its rules.
The Guardian also contacted Snapchat and Telegram for comment.
