https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/biden-flagging-facebook-posts-CÖVÌD (https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/biden-flagging-facebook-posts-CÖVÌD)
Whιte House, surgeon general 'flagging' Facebook posts for moderation, Psaki says
'We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,' Psaki said.
By Audrey Conklin (https://www.foxbusiness.com/person/c/audrey-conklin) FOXBusiness (http://www.foxbusiness.com/)
The Biden (https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/joe-biden) administration has been "flagging" content for Facebook (https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/facebook) to remove, Whιte House (https://www.foxbusiness.com/category/politics) press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.
The Office of the Surgeon General has upped its tracking of "disinformation" related to the coronavirus pandemic on social media platforms, the press secretary said during a press briefing.
"We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation. We're working with doctors and medical experts…who are popular with their audience with accurate information," she said. "So, we're helping get trusted content out there."
Facebook and since the early days of the pandemic has used human moderators, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) tools, to remove or fact-check content related to CÖVÌD-19 and vaccines that may potentially harm users on the platform, as well as on Instagram, according to its website.
"We’ve removed more than 12 million pieces of content about CÖVÌD-19 and vaccines," a Facebook blog post from April 19 reads.
Critics slam the Whιte House after Psaki reveals it's consulting with Facebook to 'flag misinformation'
'What could go wrong?'
By Lindsay Kornick (https://www.foxnews.com/person/k/lindsay-kornick) | Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/)
(https://a57.foxnews.com/cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/694940094001/047dda84-2e62-4f40-92a8-090c4459b838/e0d0db1b-9ff6-4375-a047-9825c20eccbd/1280x720/match/931/524/image.jpg?ve=1&tl=1) (http://video.foxnews.com/v/6263801823001)
Critics roundly condemned the Whιte House after Press Secretary Jen Psaki (https://video.foxnews.com/v/6263824511001/#sp=show-clips) revealed the Biden administration is working with Facebook to flag "problematic" posts that "spread disinformation" on CÖVÌD-19.
On Thursday, Psaki was asked a question regarding the Biden (https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/joe-biden) administration’s request for tech companies to be more "aggressive" when policing what they referred to as "misinformation." Psaki revealed that the Whιte House is "in regular touch with social media platforms" to handle it.
"We are in regular touch with the social media platforms and those engagements typically happen through members of our senior staff and also members of our CÖVÌD-19 team—given as Dr. Murthy conveyed, this is a big issue, of misinformation, specifically on the pandemic," Psaki explained.
While referencing the team’s actions, Psaki also revealed that they are "flagging" posts on Facebook as part of their efforts.
"Within the Surgeon General's Office, we're flagging posts for Facebook that spread disinformation," Psaki said. "We're working with doctors and medical professionals to connect medical experts with people, who are popular with their audiences with accurate information and boost trusted content. So, we're helping get trusted content out there. We also created the CÖVÌD Community Corps to get factual information into the hands of local messengers."
Psaki's comments were met with fierce pushback online with some calling the actions as infringing on the First Amendment.
"Psaki says the Whιte House has been flagging ‘problematic posts’ on Facebook they believe are misinformation about Wuhan coronavirus. Reminder: Fauci worked with Facebook to ban the lab leak theory, which is factual, for more than a year," Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich said.
Dan Gainor of the Media Research Center, said people being anti-vaccine is part of free speech and that Psaki is "against freedom."
Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote a lengthy Twitter thread condemning the revelation from Psaski.
"If you don't find it deeply disturbing that the Whιte House is ‘flagging’ internet content that they deem ‘problematic’ to their Facebook allies for removal, then you are definitionally [sic] an authoritarian. No other information is needed about you to know that," he wrote.
Psaki's comments follow a recent report from Politico (https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-slammed-plans-monitor-text-messages-vaccine-misinformation)which detailed the Biden administration's plans to battle CÖVÌD-19 misinformation. The methods in the report included "directly calling out social media platforms and conservative news shows that promote such tactics" as well as addressing SMS carriers and text messages.
"Biden allied groups, including the Democratic National Committee, are also planning to engage fact-checkers more aggressively and work with SMS carriers to dispel misinformation about vaccines that is sent over social media and text messages," Politico reported.
Later, Psaki defended the Biden administration’s actions stating that Facebook needed to "move more quickly" to handle "harmful" posts.
"It's important to take faster action against harmful posts. As you all know, information travels quite quickly on social media platforms. Sometimes it's not accurate, and Facebook needs to move more quickly to remove harmful violative posts. Posts that would be within their policies for removal often remain up for days. That's too long. The information spreads too quickly," she said.
Critics slam the Whιte House after Psaki reveals it's consulting with Facebook to 'flag misinformation'
They can protest and "slam" and whine all they want, it's too late for any of that to do any good. At best it'll only cause a short pause but no retreat, this country is under enemy control and the reigns will be tightened slowly - but surely.
Reminds me of neighborhoods protesting against killings, pleading with the criminals to stop all the shootings.