Posted on 02/15/2019 6:54:39 AM PST by DoodleBob
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is questioning the CEOs of Google and Facebook about vaccine misinformation being spread on their respective platforms.
The congressman expressed concern that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram “are surfacing and recommending messages that discourage parents from vaccinating their children, in a direct threat to public health, and reversing progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Social media platforms have served as a ground zero for vaccine skepticism in recent years. Increased access to unverified information and the ability to connect with like-minded individuals appears to have fueled skepticism of vaccines that have long been credited with the near eradication of diseases that had previously devastated earlier generations.
In separate letters to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Schiff listed a series of questions for the heads of the two tech behemoths on what, if anything, their respective platforms are doing to prevent the dissemination of misinformation:
(Excerpt) Read more at ijr.com ...
For those who don't want to click on any links to Schiff's website, here's the (disconcerting) text of his letter to FB:
February 14, 2019
Mark Zuckerberg
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Facebook Inc.
1 Hacker Way
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Dear, Mr. Zuckerberg:
As more Americans use the Internet and social media platforms as their primary source of information, it is important that we explore the quality of the information that they receive, particularly on issues that directly impact the health and well-being of Americans, as well as the billions who use your site around the world. Accordingly, I am writing out of my concern that Facebook and Instagram are surfacing and recommending messages that discourage parents from vaccinating their children, a direct threat to public health, and reversing progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.
The scientific and medical communities are in overwhelming consensus that vaccines are both effective and safe. There is no evidence to suggest that vaccines cause life-threatening or disabling diseases, and the dissemination of unfounded and debunked theories about the dangers of vaccinations pose a great risk to public health. In fact, the World Health Organization listed vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – as one of the top threats to global health in 2019. In a dramatic demonstration of the dangers, Washington state declared a public health emergency due to a measles epidemic in Clark County, signaling the resurgence of a potentially fatal disease that was effectively eliminated from the United States decades ago by vaccines.
There is strong evidence to suggest that at least part of the source of this trend is the degree to which medically inaccurate information about vaccines surface on the websites where many Americans get their information, among them Facebook and Instagram. As I have discussed with you in other contexts, and as you have acknowledged, the algorithms which power these services are not designed to distinguish quality information from misinformation or misleading information, and the consequences of that are particularly troubling for public health issues. I acknowledge that it may not always be a simple matter to determine when information is medically accurate, nor do we ask that your platform engage in the practice of medicine, but if a concerned parent consistently sees information in their Newsfeed that casts doubt on the safety or efficacy of vaccines, it could cause them to disregard the advice of their children’s physicians and public health experts and decline to follow the recommended vaccination schedule. Repetition of information, even if false, can often be mistaken for accuracy, and exposure to anti-vaccine content via social media may negatively shape user attitudes towards vaccination.
Additionally, even parents and guardians who seek out accurate information about vaccines could unwittingly reach pages and videos with misinformation. A report by the Guardian[1] found that on both Facebook and YouTube, suggested searches related to vaccines often led users to pages or groups providing medically and scientifically inaccurate information. Finally, I am concerned by the report that Facebook accepts paid advertising that contains deliberate misinformation about vaccines.
As a Member of Congress who is deeply concerned about declining vaccination rates around the nation, I am requesting additional information on the steps that you currently take to provide medically accurate information on vaccinations to your users, and to encourage you to consider additional steps you can take to address this growing problem. I was pleased to see YouTube’s recent announcement that it will no longer recommend videos that violate its community guidelines, such as conspiracy theories or medically inaccurate videos, and encourage further action to be taken related to vaccine misinformation.
Specifically, I request that you provide answers on the following questions:
I appreciate your timely response to these questions and encourage you to consider what additional steps you can take to address this growing problem. As more Americans rely on your services as their primary source of information, it is vital that you take that responsibility with the seriousness it requires, and nowhere more so than in matters of public health and children’s health. Thank you for your attention to this important topic.
Sincerely,
Adam B. Schiff
Member of Congress
This is the reason for the anti-lynching law, to protect politicians from the people.
Just think what would happen if schiff-4-brains did his actual job and stopped looking for the boogie man.
I have seen a lot of chronic Lyme disease post on Facebook.
The CDC has stated that there is no such thing as “chronic” Lyme disease.
It must be the Russians making American parents question modern science.
No freedom of thought or religion or speech can exist. Everyone must follow the edicts of ignoramuses in Congress. lol
The CDC says a lot of things, none of which can be trusted.
Friggin socialists have no concept of what is in the Constitution, people have a right to be ignorant and say and do stupid things. Little Adam Shittforbrains should be aware of this since almost everything he says and does is ignorant or stupid.
Thanks, Adam, but we don’t need you, Facebook, or Google or the phone company telling us what to communcate. If we’re communicating something illegal, call the police.
Will someone please ask Adam Shiffhead if he and his boyfriend are taking taxpayer funded Truvara?
Well if Schiff says there’s misinformation, then there’s not.
Only a fully funded MINISTRY of TRUTH CAN REPAIR THE DAMAGE.
For the children.
... with the seriousness it requires, and nowhere more so than in matters of public health and children’s health.
Do you have chronic Lyme disease?
Follow the Money.
Just how much cash are YOU getting from Big Pharma, Mr. Schiff?
More or less than Rick Perry?
Does this mean Facebook is allowed to de-platform every democrat who pushes anti-vax?
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