Facebook continued its pushback Saturday against President Biden’s comment that social media platforms were “killing people” with COVID-19 misinformation, in a blog post from its vice president of integrity Guy Rosen. The post states that the “facts tell a very different story to the one promoted by the administration in recent days.”
“At the point when COVID-19 cases are ascending in America, the Biden organization has decided to fault a modest bunch of American online media organizations,” Rosen composed. “While online media assumes a significant part in the public eye, plainly we need an entire of society way to deal with end this pandemic. Also, realities — not charges — should assist with educating that exertion.”
(The post was named “Moving Past the Finger Pointing: Support for COVID-19 immunizations is high on Facebook and developing.”)
On Friday, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander asked Biden what his message was “to stages like Facebook.” The president answered: “they’re killing individuals … the solitary pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they’re killing individuals.” See the trade underneath:
NBC's @PeterAlexander: "What's your message to platforms like Facebook [regarding COVID misinformation]?"
President Biden: "They're killing people." pic.twitter.com/TIaoeESMdk
— The Recount (@therecount) July 16, 2021
According to Rosen’s post, Facebook has worked with Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland on a global survey on COVID-19 symptoms, testing, and vaccination rates. The results, Rosen writes, show 85 percent of Facebook users in the US have or want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. “President Biden’s goal was for 70% of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4. Facebook is not the reason this goal was missed,” Rosen added.
Biden’s remark came in the midst of developing pressing factor from the White House toward Facebook and other social stages to all the more likely stem the progression of Covid antibody falsehood on their locales. A Thursday report from Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on “defying wellbeing data,” included suggestions for various partners, including tech stages, people, instructors, wellbeing experts, funders, scientists, columnists, and governments. The proposals for the stages included ideas to “reinforce the checking of falsehood,” and “intensify interchanges from confided in couriers and topic specialists.”
In Saturday’s post, Rosen argued that Facebook had already taken action on Murthy’s recommendations.
A Facebook representative said Friday that the “allegations” weren’t upheld by current realities. A few Republicans likewise communicated worry about the White House’s endeavors; Congressman Ken Buck (R-CO) said the White House was “intriguing with Facebook to control Americans.”
Because of a solicitation for input, a White House representative highlighted Murthy’s remarks on Fox News Sunday. “This isn’t about me or about a particular online media organization, this is about the wellbeing of Americans. Furthermore, actually falsehood is as yet fanning out like quickly in our nation, helped and abetted by innovation stages,” Murthy said, recognizing that some innovation organizations have “made positive strides,” however it’s insufficient. “Regardless of a portion of the moves they have made, we’re actually seeing critical spreading of falsehood,” via web-based media.
“I’m requesting that these organizations move forward and assume liability for what’s going on their locales,” Murthy added. “I’m requesting that they pay special mind to individuals the whole way across this country whose lives rely upon approaching precise data. What’s more, that is the thing that I will keep on doing.”
