According to a statement from White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, major social media platforms should be held accountable for publishing misinformation content. The White House, and specifically President Biden, takes the issue of the spread of misinformation (via social media) related to COVID-19 and vaccines.
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A few days ago, the President spoke with the CEOs of major social media companies and stressed that the platforms are harming or even killing people when they allow misinformation about vaccines to spread. Facebook.
When asked whether these companies should be held liable for publishing misinformation that causes harm to people, Kate Bedingfield said the government is reviewing its policies on social media. This could include amending the Communications Decency Act, or section 230 of the act (which allows companies to remove harmful content but does not hold them liable for content uploaded by users).
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“We are looking into this, and they should certainly be held accountable,” Bedingfield said. “And I think you’ve heard the President speak very seriously about this. He understands that this is an important piece.”
White House spokeswoman Jen Psakihad said that the Biden administration had begun “flagging posts on Facebook that spread misinformation” and that the administration had proposed changes to major social media platforms.
Bedingfield's statements yesterday follow a "battle" between the White House and Facebook, after President Joe Biden last week said that social media giants like Facebook are "killing people" by allowing misinformation about Covid vaccines.
See also: TikTok: How it was used to spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines
Facebook responded by saying that the company would not be affected by baseless accusations.
Biden later clarified that it wasn't Facebook that was killing people, but users who were posting misinformation. However, the President says Facebook needs to do more to combat "outrageous misinformation" about COVID-19 vaccines.
Source: CNBC
