Meta’s Threads blocks searches for COVID, vaccine

Meta’s Threads social media platform is blocking searches for COVID-19 or any pandemic-related inquiries.

The blocking, first noticed and reported on Monday, is still active. When users search COVID, vaccine, coronavirus or other pandemic-related keywords, the site prompts users to visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for further information.

“The search functionality temporarily doesn’t provide results for keywords that may show potentially sensitive content,” Meta wrote in a statement. “People will be able to search for keywords such as COVID in future updates once we are confident in the quality of the results.”

The company did not specify when the policy would be rolled back and did not provide a full list of blocked words.

The decision comes as the U.S. is recording an uptick in hospitalization related to COVID-19.

Threads has launched several updates in the weeks since its launch this year. Despite gathering millions of users early on, many found the site bare-bones and not as useful as Twitter, now X. Recently, Threads added a web browser version, and users can search keywords.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.