Biden slammed for accusing Facebook of ‘killing people’ over COVID misinformation as WH partners with Big Tech



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President Biden sparked a backlash on social media Friday after accusing Facebook of “killing people” – as the White House’s partnership with big tech companies to crack down on so-called “disinformation” about coronaviruses raised great concerns about freedom of expression among critics.

Biden’s comments went viral after a reporter asked him what his message was to “platforms like Facebook” about “COVID disinformation.”

“They kill people,” Biden replied. “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they are killing people.”

The president’s hyperbolic rhetoric has been criticized on Twitter.

“@POTUS is right about the role of Big Tech, he is just pointing the finger at the wrong issue,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. reacted. “It was their removal and censorship of early treatment that claimed lives. Social media should have been an open forum for solutions, instead it became a tool for Big Brother.”

“Are social media companies also guilty of ‘killing people’ if they allow content that encourages people to be obese, consume fatty junk food, content that glorifies smoking, consuming large amounts of alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle? ”asked journalist Glenn Greenwald.

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“It’s authoritarian nonsense,” responded Ben Shapiro.

“Every corrupt regime since the dawn of time has called silencing citizens as a matter of public interest,” wrote Erielle Davidson of the Jewish Institute for National Security in America.

“Wow, I sometimes criticize FB but I didn’t charge them with murder. That’s who FB lines up with. Brilliant,” US Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp wrote, slamming the tech giant.

Facebook released a statement on Friday that appeared to oppose Biden’s statement, arguing that the company is saving lives, not ending it.

“We will not be distracted by accusations that are not supported by the facts,” Facebook said in a statement. The point is, over 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the Internet. Over 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder to find out where and how to get vaccinated. The facts show that Facebook helps save lives. Period. “

Biden’s remarks came as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made headlines regarding the Biden administration’s efforts to ‘report’ what she considers to be ‘disinformation’ on Facebook amid the fight to immunize more Americans.

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“So we regularly make sure that social media platforms are aware of the latest dangerous public health stories that we and many other Americans see in all social and mainstream media,” Psaki said. “And we are working to engage with them to better understand the application of the policies of social media platforms.”

She added, “As you all know, information travels pretty quickly. If it’s there for days and days and days. When people see it, you know, it’s hard to put it back in a box. and, of course, to promote quality information algorithms, I don’t know how they work, but they all know how they work. “

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