Drug company data miners are lurking online — from Twitter to public discussion boards

We’ve all heard warnings about internet predators coming after our children and our personal information.

But there’s a new predator that’s lurking online. And this one is out to brainwash vulnerable new parents.

The Wall St. Journal reports that GlaxoSmithKline hired a firm to track and analyze public discussion boards. They targeted boards where parents might discuss feelings about childhood vaccines.

BabyCenter.com and WhattoExpect.com were the discussion board hosts. But website administrators were not aware that GSK was hunting and gathering on their turf.

A GSK spokesperson told WSJ that they were analyzing concerns of parents who delay or refuse vaccines for their kids.

In other words, they were using people’s personal communications to build their marketing strategies. Then they can help doctors persuade parents to allow their children to surrender to more and more vaccines.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Researchers conducted a similar data mining operation on Twitter. It was also looking for vaccine comments.

I think we can assume this practice is already widespread, but nearly invisible.

According to Fierce Vaccines… “Any insight the company can gather into how to better distribute information and market its vaccines should be helpful to the general population.”

Sure…if by “general population” you mean drug company shareholders. If you mean concerned parents, then I’m not sure how you’re defining “helpful.”

Sources:
“The birth defects scandal no one is talking about” Health e-Tips, 3/21/13, wrightnewsletter.com

“Glaxo Mined Online Parent Discussion Boards For Vaccine Worries” Joel Schectman, The Wall St. Journal, 5/1/13, wsj.com

“GSK anonymously listens to online vax talk, then mines data for nuggets” Carly Helfand, Fierce Vaccines, 5/8/13, fiercevaccines.com