#DeleteFacebook trends as Biden says social media is 'killing people' with misinformation

After US President Joe Biden slammed social media firms’ inability to stop the spread of misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines, #DeleteFacebook started trending on Twitter. Biden on July 16 blamed social media companies for spreading misinformation among people. When asked by reporters what his message to platforms like Facebook was, the US President responded by saying that “they are killing people” and added, “the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated”. 

Following Biden’s criticism, #DeleteFacebook started trending on Twitter. While some internet users gave reasons to delete Facebook account, others said that the social media platform will “happily destroy” both humans and democracy only for a few billion more. One user said, “Facebook doesn't care how many people die as long as they make more money”. Another added, “I don't know I'm afraid. It didn't sound like Facebook were terribly keen to acknowledge it as a problem”. 

White House criticises Facebook for misinformation 

Meanwhile, on Friday, the White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, also criticised Facebook for the misinformation being shared on it. During a White House briefing, she said, "Obviously, there are steps they (Facebook) have taken. They're a private-sector company.". "There are additional steps they can take. It's clear that there are more that can be taken", she added. Psaki further supported her statement and said, "There's about 12 people who are producing 65 per cent of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. All of them remain active on Facebook, despite some even being banned on other platforms, including Facebook - ones that Facebook owns”.

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also highlighted that misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines can be dangerous to public health. He claimed that this had led people to decline the vaccines. Murthy suggested that the US must confront the misinformation together as it is a threat to the nation's health.

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