Biden calls out Facebook for vaccine misinformation: 'They're killing people'
President Biden has a simple yet powerful message for platforms like Facebook, where misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine is running rampant.
"They're killing people," said Biden when asked what he'd say to the social network. He adds that "the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated," echoing sentiments Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky made earlier Friday. Meetings between the administration and Facebook in recent weeks have reportedly been "tense," per CNN.
The president's remarks are tied to a larger White House offensive, one in which the administration is targeting the deluge of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and the platforms disseminating it — specifically Mark Zuckerberg's. On Thursday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki called on Facebook to "move more quickly to remove violative posts," and make public information about who and how many people are interacting with misleading content. She added that there are about 12 people producing "65 percent of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms," CNN reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And on Friday, Psaki shut down claims of government "spying," saying the administration does not remove Facebook posts, nor is any of the content they're flagging private. "Our biggest concern here — and I frankly think it should be your biggest concern — is the number of people who are dying around the country because they are getting misinformation that is leading them to not take a vaccine," she said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
5 cleverly clashing cartoons about the presidential debate
Cartoons Artists take on a deepfake debate, winners and losers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Pélicot case: a horror exposed
Talking Point This case is unusually horrifying, but the misogyny that enabled is chillingly common
By The Week UK Published
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: pure 'nostalgia bait'
Talking Point Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for sequel to the 1988 cult classic
By The Week UK Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Amazon ending 'Just Walk Out' grocery checkout
Speed Read In its place, the company will let customers scan while they shop with Amazon Dash Cart
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
House votes to force TikTok to sell or face US ban
speed read The House passed a bill to ban TikTok on national security grounds unless it sells to a non-Chinese company
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Apple kills its secret electric car project
Speed Read Many of the people from Project Titan are being reassigned to work on generative AI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Cellphone use may be lowering sperm count
Speed Read Electromagnetic radiation could be affecting male fertility
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published