On Friday, Biden was blasted for accusing Facebook of “killing people” due to COVID misinformation; thus comes as the White House partners with social big tech companies in tracking down what they called COVID “misinformation”.
Biden’s message to big techs: they are killing people
The remarks made by Biden on Friday went viral after he mentioned that social media platforms like Facebook are killing people; this is a response Biden made after he was asked about his message to big tech, particularly on subjects relating to COVID-19.
Reporter: "What's your message to platforms like Facebook?"
President Biden: "They're killing people." pic.twitter.com/jrAvQpG7i0
— The Hill (@thehill) July 16, 2021
Biden said that these social media giants are “killing people” and the only pandemic that we have is among people who are unvaccinated.
This hyperbolic rhetoric of the president was slammed on Twitter, as critics voiced out their opposition and concerns.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson reacted saying that Biden is right about the role of that big tech plays, however, he is referring to the wrong problem.
Johnson added that it is the censorship and suppression of early treatment that caused deaths. The senator added that social media platforms should be an open forum for solutions, instead of being a tool for “Big Brother.”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald also wondered whether social media is also guilty of “killing people” if they allow content that encourages people to be obese and consume fatty food, content that glorifies that huge amounts of alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and having a sedentary lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Ben Shapiro mentioned that these comments made by Biden are “authoritarian nonsense.” One critic also posted a tweet saying that since the beginning of time, every corrupt regime framed its silencing of people as for the “public good.”
Facebook clapped back saying that social media is actually saving lives
Then on Friday, Facebook released a statement in an apparent reference to Biden’s comments. The social media giant argued that Facebook is actually “saving lives”, not ending them.
Facebook also added that they will not be “distracted” by charges which are not supported by truth.
They added that there are over two billion people on Facebook who have seen the authoritative information about coronavirus and immunizations. They said that this is more than any other place on the internet.
JUST IN: @Facebook responds to Biden (“They’re killing people”) re: COVID misinformation: “The facts show Facebook is helping save lives. Period.”
Full statement here. pic.twitter.com/5bj7mwuI4J
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) July 16, 2021
Facebook also mentioned that over 3.3 million Americans used their vaccine finder tool to learn about where and how to get vaccinated. They said that these facts show how Facebook is assisting in saving lives.
The remarks from Biden came after comments made by White House press secretary Jen Psaki generated headlines; these comments regarded how the White House works with Facebook on “flagging” what they consider “misinformation.”
Psaki stated that they are “regularly” working with these social media platforms to understand better the enforcement of social media policies.
