Rich Polk

Pinterest has reportedly banned anti-abortion group Live Action for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. The influential group had published videos linking Planned Parenthood to the harvesting and sale of fetal body parts.

Live Action, which has 3.3 million followers on social media, tweeted a letter it said was sent to it by Pinterest informing the group it had been "permanently suspended" from the platform for spreading "harmful misinformation."

"We don't allow harmful misinformation on Pinterest," a screenshot of the letter from Pinterest reads. "That includes medical misinformation and conspiracies that turn individuals and facilities into targets for harassment or violence."

Pinterest users deserve to know the truth and our messages deserve to be treated fairly. If Planned Parenthood can promote their message on Pinterest, then Live Action should be able to as well. #LifeCensored — Alison H.Centofante (@AlisonHowardC) June 11, 2019

Live Action accused the company of censorship and said in a statement that Pinterest is suppressing its content by secretly adding it to a "pornography block list."

It wasn't immediately clear which posts to the social network triggered the ban. In a statement to BuzzFeed News, which previously reported the ban, Pinterest said the group was suspended for "misinformation related to conspiracies and anti-vaccination advice, and not porn."

The ban comes as tech companies face mounting pressure from lawmakers, activists and health experts to prevent anti-vax misinformation from going viral. The misinformation may have contributed to an outbreak of measles in the US.

In response, Live Action noted that many social media sites had blocked accounts for spreading anti-vaccination information but said it "has been and remains neutral on the issue of vaccines." However, it went on to say that Live Action News, a related publisher of anti-abortion stories, "reported on the controversy surrounding the use of human fetal cell lines used to grow certain vaccines."

Pinterest didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.