United States President Joe Biden said that social media platforms like Facebook are "killing people" by allowing various misinformation posts about coronavirus vaccines.
“They are killing people… Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they are killing people.”, Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about disinformation and what his message was for social media platforms such as Facebook, writes Reuters.com.
Misinformation about Covid-19 has spread during the pandemic on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which are owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O). Researchers and lawmakers have long accused Facebook of failing to keep harmful content off its platforms.
The company has introduced rules against making specific false claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, and says it provides people with reliable information on these topics.
"We will not be distracted by accusations that are not based on facts. The fact is that more than 2 billion people have seen authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet," said Facebook spokesman Kevin McAlister.
"More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to learn where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives," he added.
Meanwhile, platforms like "Twitter" and "YouTube" have not yet reacted to these statements.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has also criticized the social network Facebook.
"Obviously, there are steps they have taken. They are a private sector company. There are additional steps they can take. It is clear that they can do more than that.", Psaki said at a briefing at the White House.
Psaki added that 12 people were responsible for almost 65% of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. The finding was reported in May by the Washington and London-based nonprofit Center for Combating Digital Hate, but Facebook has disputed the methodology.
(Full article at Reuters)