Joe Biden says social media platforms such as Facebook “are killing people” for allowing disinformation about coronavirus vaccines to be posted on its platform, as the administration continued criticising the company.
“They’re killing people. … Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people,” the US president told reporters at the White House on Friday, when asked about disinformation and what his message was to social media platforms such as Facebook.
Covid19 vaccination in Delhi, India – 01 Mar 2021
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Manish Rajput/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock (11780992s) Senior citizens wait to receive the Covishield vaccine at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital. India begins phase 2 of Coronavirus Vaccination Drive Inoculating over 60s at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi, opening registrations for people above 60 years and those aged 45 in the second phase of the inoculation drive which began on January 16. Covid19 vaccination in Delhi, India – 01 Mar 2021
Twitter targets Covid vaccine misinformation with labels and ‘strike’ system
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Covid-19 disinformation has proliferated during the pandemic on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube. Researchers and lawmakers have long accused Facebook of failing to police harmful content on its platforms.
The company has introduced rules against making specific false claims about Covid-19 and vaccines, and said it provided people reliable information on these topics.
“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” Facebook spokesman Kevin McAlister said on Friday. “The fact is that more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about Covid-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet.
“More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives. Period,” he said.
Twitter and YouTube did not respond to requests for comment.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus is now the dominant strain worldwide, accompanied by a surge of deaths around the United States almost entirely among unvaccinated people, US officials said on Friday.
American cases of Covid-19 are up 70% over the previous week and deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
Earlier on Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also criticized Facebook.
