US President Joe Biden said Friday that social media networks are “killing people” by allowing the spread of misinformation about coronavirus vaccines.
“Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated,” Biden said after he was asked about his message for tech companies as he departed the White House on Friday. “And they’re killing people.
Biden’s comments came shortly after the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the U.S. is seeing a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” in parts of the country where inoculation rates are low.
Just four states accounted for 40% of Covid-19 cases in the past week, and the seven-day average of new infections is now up 70% from the previous week, with 26,300 new infections a day, U.S. officials said.
Only 55% of Americans have received one dose of the vaccine, and the pace is falling despite White House efforts to encourage Americans to get the shot.
Reporter: “On Covid misinformation, what’s your message to platforms like Facebook?”
Biden: “They’re killing people” pic.twitter.com/SsSksFzytZ
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) July 16, 2021
Earlier this week, administration officials called on social media networks to do more to purge posts carrying incorrect information about the pandemic, or discouraging readers from taking vaccines that can largely eliminate the risk of a deadly outcome from coronavirusSurgeon General Vivek Murthy said his office had increased disinformation research and tracking within his office, and had proactively flagged problematic posts to Facebook Inc.
That revelation led to criticism from some conservatives, who argued the White House effort amounted to government censorship.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, tweeted that the White House was “colluding” with the social media giant, while Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, suggested the White House was defining misinformation as “stories that make Joe Biden look bad.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday said the outreach was no different than when the White House engaged regularly with news organizations, and called on social media companies to create “robust enforcement strategies” to combat those providing misinformation. When asked for comment Friday, Twitter Inc. referred to a tweet it posted Thursday in response to a call by the surgeon general for a “whole-of-society effort” to combat misinformation.
“As the Covid-19 pandemic evolves around the world, we’ll continue to do our part to elevate authoritative health information,” Twitter said.
Twitter said that the company will “continue to do our part to elevate authoritative health information,” and referenced a tweet by the surgeon general about the responsibility to confront health misinformation.
In other news – Actress Jo-Anne Reyneke Reflects On Her Weight Loss Journey
The Estate star Jo-Anne Reyneke recently took to Instagram to reflect on her weight loss journey. The former Muvhango star shared her then and now pictures.
The Estate star Jo-Anne Reyneke recently took to Instagram to reflect on her weight loss journey. The former Muvhango star shared her then and now pictures. Learn more
Source: mybroadband
