President Joe Biden said social media platforms like Facebook “are killing people” by allowing misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines to propagate on their platforms.
“They’re killing people,” Biden said when asked what his message would be to social media platforms about misinformation. “Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they’re killing people.”
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“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” said Facebook spokesman Kevin McAlister 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.”
“Facebook is helping save lives. Period.” the statement concluded.
In a second statement released Friday, Facebook accused the White House of "looking for scapegoats for missing their vaccine goals," noting praise its received from the Surgeon General.
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While the Biden administration disclosed this week it communicates regularly with Facebook, press secretary Jen Psaki said the website needed to do more.
“There are additional steps they can take,” Psaki commented. “It’s clear that there are more that can be taken.
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