WIREDGOV

The Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy sets out the framework for safe, coherent, evidence-based and ethical approaches to address false and misleading health information.

Introduction

Every day we take decisions which affect our health. From the food that we eat to the healthcare treatments we may need; from getting our children vaccinated to undergoing cancer treatment; the choices that we make rely on good quality and accurate information. When the health information we receive is untrue, we may make decisions that harm us or those around us. In an era defined by rapid information flow and digital connectivity, the proliferation of false and misleading health information presents a growing risk to public health, social cohesion and health equity.

False information about health is not new. There are many examples in history where false information has spread widely and shaped public opinion. Just over a century ago, the 1918 flu pandemic led to the deaths of tens of millions and earned the nickname the ‘Spanish flu’, though in fact its true origins remain unclear. The tobacco industry famously cast doubt upon the growing body of evidence that smoking was harmful to health with its ‘frank statement to cigarette smokers’ in 1954, and then by developing a strategy to manufacture scientific controversy.

Despite this longstanding history, there was a dramatic shift in the quantity of false health information with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Much was unknown in the early days of the pandemic as the science developed. In this environment – and facilitated by social media – false information spread rapidly. Efforts to address the harms of the pandemic became more difficult. Vaccination, mask wearing, social distancing and ‘lockdowns’ were all the subject of widespread false information, sowing doubt and damaging public trust. Beyond COVID-19, concern has increased over the effects of false information in a wide variety of health settings. From cancer care to our diet and whether we smoke or drink alcohol, false information can be found which may influence our decisions.

False health information creates issues that go beyond borders. However, many of the actions we can take to address its harms are available to us here in Scotland. This strategy is a blueprint for a national approach to false health information which is safe, coherent, evidence-based and ethical. It seeks to link local on-the-ground efforts to institutional response at a national level, while supporting trusted figures in our communities.

This strategy does not advocate direct engagement with all false or misleading health information. It also does not support engaging in arguments with individuals who spread it, either unknowingly or on purpose. Such an approach can be harmful to all involved. Many people who share false information do so innocently out of concern for what they have read.

Nothing in this strategy gives power to remove online content or silence citizens. It is about equipping our institutions and the people they serve with the tools to thrive in a complex environment of conflicting and competing health information.

Click here for the full press release