YouTube says will ban posts from prominent anti-vaccine activists in effort to purge misinformation

YouTube said Wednesday the platform is banning several prominent anti-vaccine activists from its platform as part of an effort to remove all content that falsely claims that approved vaccines are dangerous.

Among the accounts being banned are those of Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to The New York Times. 

YouTube made the announcement in a blog post saying it would remove videos claiming that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease as well as content that includes misinformation on the contents of the vaccines.

The platform also said it would remove claims that approved vaccines cause autism, cancer or infertility, or that the vaccines contain trackers, the Times reports.