President Joe Biden said that social media sites like Facebook are \u201ckilling people\u201d by allowing COVID-19 misinformation to run rampant.<\/b>
\nPresident Joe Biden levied some of his strongest criticism of Facebook yet on Friday after he said that social media sites like the platform are \u201ckilling people\u201d by allowing COVID-19 misinformation to run rampant. When asked by a reporter what his message to platforms like Facebook was, Biden replied, \u201cThey\u2019re killing people.\u201d \u201cI mean they really, look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and that\u2019s \u2014 they\u2019re killing people,\u201d Biden said. Watch the exchange below: Reporter: „What’s your message to platforms like Facebook?“ President Biden: „They’re killing people.“ pic.twitter.com\/z9QPC2DO3t The Real Facebook Oversight Board (@FBoversight) July 16, 2021 Biden\u2019s criticism came after White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced that the administration was reporting posts on Facebook that it believes is spreading misinformation about COVID-19. \u201cWe\u2019ve increased disinformation research and tracking within the Surgeon General\u2019s office,\u201d Psaki said at a Thursday press briefing. \u201cWe\u2019re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation. We\u2019re working with doctors and medical professionals to connect medical experts with people who are popular with their audiences [\u2026] So we\u2019re helping get trusted content out there.\u201d Psaki also stirred a bit of controversy on Friday when she seemed to suggest that those who spread misinformation be banned from all social media platforms \u2014 not just one. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be banned from one platform and not others if you [provide] misinformation out there,\u201d she said at the Friday briefing. Jen Psaki just suggested that people spreading misinformation be banned from other\/all platforms if they’re banned from one. pic.twitter.com\/SlNXJTXi0I \u2014 jordan (@JordanUhl) July 16, 2021 This, of course, has some uniquely scary implications. After all, the executive branch of the US government is suggesting a total deplatforming of anyone who\u2019s considered to be spreading misinformation. This brings up the question of who exactly is the one dictating what is and isn\u2019t permissible online speech. But it\u2019s also important to keep in mind that platforms like Facebook have been used as a tool by bad actors to spread baseless conspiracy theories and misinformation. So while it\u2019s important to hold these big tech companies accountable, we should be incredibly cautious of the dangers of policing online speech. More on social media: Scientists Warn That Social Media Could Be a Threat to Civilization As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent company\u2019s forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. It\u2019s free to join, sign up now!<\/p>\n