Suspensions of prominent accounts minimally impact platform engagement

Health-related misinformation online poses threats to individual well-being and undermines public health efforts. In response, many social media platforms have temporarily or permanently suspended accounts that spread misinformation, at the risk of losing traffic vital to platform revenue. Here we examine the impact on platform engagement following removal of six prominent accounts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focused on those who engaged with the removed accounts, we find that suspension did not meaningfully reduce activity on the platform. Moreover, we find that removal of the prominent accounts minimally impacted the diversity of information sources consumed.