{"id":302059,"date":"2021-07-18T17:56:55","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T14:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/surgeon-general-criticizes-big-techs-covid-misinformation-fight\/"},"modified":"2021-07-18T17:56:55","modified_gmt":"2021-07-18T14:56:55","slug":"surgeon-general-criticizes-big-techs-covid-misinformation-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/surgeon-general-criticizes-big-techs-covid-misinformation-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"#Surgeon general criticizes Big Tech’s COVID misinformation fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Surgeon general<\/a> criticizes Big Tech’s COVID misinformation fight<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy acknowledged that Big Tech has taken some \u201cpositive steps\u201d to combat misinformation about coronavirus vaccines but \u201cnot enough\u201d \u2013 amid President Biden\u2019s accusation that Facebook<\/a> is \u201ckilling people\u201d by failing to rid its platform of inaccurate information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Murthy was asked on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d<\/a> about Facebook\u2019s statement in response, saying the White House is looking for a scapegoat to blame for the lag in vaccinations and claiming that administration officials have praised the work of the social media giant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very consistent in what I\u2019ve said to the technology<\/a> companies, and I\u2019ve spoken with a number of them over the last many months, and my team has as well. And what we have effectively said is when we see steps that are good, that are being taken, we should acknowledge those. And there have been some positive steps taken by these technology companies,\u201d he told\u00a0host\u00a0Dana Bash, noting that some promoted material from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what I\u2019ve also said to them, publicly and privately, is that it\u2019s not enough. That we\u2019re still seeing a proliferation of misinformation online, and we know that health misinformation harms people\u2019s health. It costs them their lives,\u201d Murthy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy worry is that all this misinformation that\u2019s floating around is having a real cost that can be measured in lives lost and that is just tragic,\u201d says US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on the spread of vaccine disinformation on social media and by conservative media. #CNNSOTU<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hBTk3NDs9s<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 State of the Union (@CNNSotu) July 18, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

He said the misinformation being dispersed online confuses people trying to find accurate medical and health information \u2013 which can have deadly consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen that as a doctor over the years as patients have struggled with health misinformation. And here\u2019s the key thing to remember: health misinformation takes away our freedom and our power to make decisions for us and for our families,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s a problem, and these platforms have to recognize they played a major role in the increase in speed and scale with which misinformation is spreading,\u201d Murthy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Biden was asked last Friday about Facebook and other media outlets allowing misinformation to spread amid a decline in vaccination rates and a rise in coronavirus cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re killing people. The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated. And they\u2019re killing people,\u201d\u00a0\u200bthe president told reporters.\u00a0\u200b<\/p>\n

His comments came shortly after White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the \u200badministration is \u201cregularly\u201d working with the social media\u00a0platforms to block the flow of bad information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans are seeing across all of social and traditional media,\u201d Psaki said\u200b at the White House briefing.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s about 12 people who are producing 65 percent of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Surgeon
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said \u201call of us\u200b \u2013\u00a0technology companies, individuals, health care professionals, and government\u200b\u201d can help address the spread of misinformation.<\/figcaption>
AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Facebook issued a statement blasting the president\u2019s comments and lauding itself for informing its users about the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not be distracted by accusations which aren\u2019t supported by the facts,\u201d a Facebook spokesperson said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n

In an interview on \u201cFox News Sunday,\u201d<\/a> Murthy was asked if the White House\u2019s coordination with the Silicon Valley titans smacks of Big Brother.<\/p>\n

Murthy said many Americans are left confused by the competing pieces of information out there \u2013 both accurate and inaccurate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not sure what to do to protect their children, to protect their elderly parents, to protect themselves. And what all of us have the right to is accurate information so we can make the right decisions for us and for our families. \u2026 That is not the reality for far too many people. But they\u2019re inundated with misinformation,\u201d he said on Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd all of us\u200b \u2013\u00a0technology companies, individuals, health care professionals, and government\u200b -have roles that they can play in addressing and slowing the spread of misinformation\u200b,\u201d he said. \u200b\n <\/p><\/div>\n