Erin Elizabeth Finn, known as Erin Elizabeth, is an American alternative health advocate who blogs under the name Health Nut News. She is known for propagating conspiracy theories relating to healthcare topics like COVID-19 and vaccines. She and her partner Joseph Mercola have been called two of the "disinformation dozen" responsible for 65% of COVID-19 anti-vaccine misinformation on the internet and social media, according to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in 2021.[1]
By February 2019, Pinterest had banned links to Health Nut News for their promotion of false and dangerous health information.[4]
On May 13, 2021, Facebook banned her personal and professional accounts, her 16 groups, and her Instagram accounts.[2]Vice News reported that an unauthorized source at Facebook said that the accounts were banned for "spammy and inauthentic behavior they relied on to build their audience. They misled people about the popularity of their posts and used fake accounts to spam people and evade our enforcement."[2]
The White House also put pressure on social media companies and mentioned the "disinformation dozen", saying "they were responsible for a great deal of misinformation about Covid-19".[6]
Elizabeth is professionally associated with and the romantic partner of Joseph Mercola, who has been described as "a major funder of the anti-vax movement who has made millions from selling alternative health supplements online."[2][8] She is based in Ormond Beach, Florida.[9][10]
^ abcdefGilbert, David (May 14, 2021). "Facebook Is Finally Doing Something About the Biggest Spreaders of Anti-Vax Lies". Vice. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021. Facebook did not respond to VICE News' request for comment about the takedown but a source at the company who was not authorized to speak on the record said that the accounts were not banned because of the disinformation being shared. The accounts were taken down because of the "spammy and inauthentic behavior they relied on to build their audience. They misled people about the popularity of their posts and used fake accounts to spam people and evade our enforcement," the source said.
