X Targets Scientist After Viral Vaccine-Autism Study Gains Millions of Views

HEATHER MOON

It was nearly impossible to find the X account of an epidemiologist whose study linking autism to childhood vaccines garnered millions of views.

The Elon Musk-owned platform banned Epidemiologist and McCullough Foundation Administrator Nicolas Hulscher from search results after he posted a “landmark study”  affirming that “vaccines are the dominant risk factor for autism.” When users searched for his name or for his X username, many either got no results or were presented only with other accounts that had similar spellings. 

The McCullough Foundation was created in 2023 to fight for medical freedom. Dr. Peter McCullough, the foundation’s president, was an outspoken critic of COVID-19 policy measures, including vaccine mandates. 

Notably, Big Tech worked to silence McCullough through the pandemic, as recorded by the Media Research Center in its CensorTrack database. 

For instance, YouTube removed a video of a McCullough interview with podcast host Joe Rogan in 2021, in which he discussed all aspects of virus management. YouTube claimed at the time that the video contained “medical misinformation.” 

In 2022, X, then known as Twitter, suspended McCullough’s account for at least two weeks. While it was not clear at the time what reason was provided for the suspension, McCullough was posting largely about COVID-19. 

In 2023, Amazon suspended the publishing account behind McCullough’s book titled The Courage to Face COVID-19, stating only that it contained “offensive content.”

Big Tech platforms have now repudiated the COVID-19 censorship that they willingly conducted at the demand of the Biden administration. However, the platforms may soon be targeting content related to the Trump administration’s investigation into the causes of autism. Elon Musk’s commitment to free speech on X was evident when Hulscher’s search ban was reversed within hours of his reporting the problem.