Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced Thursday that the Biden administration was working with tech companies to remove information about COVID deemed false by government officials.
Psaki said the administration was in regular contact with tech companies because of all the “misinformation” that is running rampant on sites like Facebook. She explained some of the strategies the administration was taking, beginning with the Surgeon General’s office researching and tracking “disinformation.” The Covid Community Corps was also created to spread “factual” information and medical professionals were being encouraged to help with the cause as well. The administration was also partnering with influencers and other high profile individuals who are believed to be more trustworthy to the public in spreading vaccination information.
One example of this was a video from the White House of young singer Olivia Rodrigo encouraging young people to get vaccinated. A four-step plan of proposed Facebook changes was also announced, including measuring and sharing the reach of misinformation, creating a strong enforcement plan, taking quick action against posts, and advancing “quality” information.
This comes just days after the White House reportedly announced plans to work with SMS carriers to remove any information deemed false that is sent via text message. This also came after the announcement there would be “messengers” going door-to-door to increase the number of vaccinations. There has been a lot of criticism and pushback in response to all three of these announcements. Several moderate and conservative media outlets and politicians have focused on these recent efforts by the White House with the belief that it is a violation of free speech rights and is a sign of an authoritative government.