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White House working with Facebook and Twitter to tackle anti-vaxxers
Source: Reuters
RACE FOR A CURE
FEBRUARY 19, 2021 9:28 AM UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Exclusive: White House working with Facebook and Twitter to tackle anti-vaxxers
By Nandita Bose
4 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has been reaching out to social media companies including Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc’s Google about clamping down on COVID misinformation and getting their help to stop it from going viral, a senior administration official said.
President Joe Biden, who has raced to curb the pandemic since taking office, has made inoculating Americans one of his top priorities and called the move “a wartime effort.” But tackling public fear about taking the vaccine has emerged as a major impediment for the administration.
Since the onset of the pandemic, calls from lawmakers asking the companies to tackle the spread of COVID misinformation on their platforms have grown.
The White House’s direct engagement with the companies to mitigate the challenge has not been previously reported. Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain has previously said the administration will try to work with Silicon Valley on the issue.
“Disinformation that causes vaccine hesitancy is going to be a huge obstacle to getting everyone vaccinated and there are no larger players in that than the social media platforms,” said the source, who has direct knowledge of the White House’s efforts.
-snip-
FEBRUARY 19, 2021 9:28 AM UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Exclusive: White House working with Facebook and Twitter to tackle anti-vaxxers
By Nandita Bose
4 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has been reaching out to social media companies including Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Inc’s Google about clamping down on COVID misinformation and getting their help to stop it from going viral, a senior administration official said.
President Joe Biden, who has raced to curb the pandemic since taking office, has made inoculating Americans one of his top priorities and called the move “a wartime effort.” But tackling public fear about taking the vaccine has emerged as a major impediment for the administration.
Since the onset of the pandemic, calls from lawmakers asking the companies to tackle the spread of COVID misinformation on their platforms have grown.
The White House’s direct engagement with the companies to mitigate the challenge has not been previously reported. Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain has previously said the administration will try to work with Silicon Valley on the issue.
“Disinformation that causes vaccine hesitancy is going to be a huge obstacle to getting everyone vaccinated and there are no larger players in that than the social media platforms,” said the source, who has direct knowledge of the White House’s efforts.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-white-house-exclus/exclusive-white-house-working-with-facebook-and-twitter-to-tackle-anti-vaxxers-idUSKBN2AJ1SW
