A health alliance formed by Facebook in June of 2021 has been funding research into “how best to use behavioral science, social media and digital platforms to build confidence in and access to vaccines.” Called the “Alliance for Advancing Health Online (AAHO),” members of the Facebook-led group include the World Health Organization, pharmaceutical giant Merck, and the CDC Foundation—which is the fundraising arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has corporate partners that include Pfizer and other world giants in vaccine manufacturing. In an email sent last June to White House staffers announcing the formation of the alliance, Facebook described it as an initiative to “boost vaccination confidence through social media” noting that a “vaccine confidence fund” had been created under the group to finance campaigns to diminish vaccine hesitancy.   The email described the fund as a $40 million multi-year initiative. Facebook and Merck contributed $20 million …