New Letter Urges Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to Deplatform ‘Disinformation Dozen’ for Lies About COVID-19 & Vaccines
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, July 19, 2021
CONTACT: Anna Zuccaro | anna@unbendablemedia.com
Center for Countering Digital Hate | press@counterhate.com
New Letter Urges Facebook, Instagram, Twitter to Deplatform ‘Disinformation Dozen’ for Lies About COVID-19 & Vaccines
UltraViolet, Center for Countering Digital Hate, AI for the People, Alianza for Progress, Center for Civic Policy, Creators of The Social Dilemma, Dr. Jay Bhatt, LLC, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Free Press, Friends of the Earth, GLAAD, Kairos, Media Matters for America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Peninsula 360 Press, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, ProgressNow New Mexico, Reality Team, Reproaction, SumOfUs, The Sparrow Project, #ThisIsOurShot, Western States Center, & Women’s March send joint letter to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter demanding removal of COVID-19 & vaccine disinformation
WASHINGTON, DC — A letter released today by a coalition of thirty organizations is urging Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg along with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to deplatform twelve individuals responsible for nearly two-thirds of the disinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine across social media platforms.
VIEW THE FULL LETTER HERE: https://weareuv.us/3wUBV10
The letter explains:
“Medically inaccurate disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine is leading to further questions, mistrust, and concerns among vulnerable populations. Lies about the vaccine causing infertility, or worse, death, are leading to more burden and strain on women and parents of 12-17 year olds, and exacerbating the divide between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. While fears regarding health and the ongoing pandemic are valid, perpetuation of dangerous and incorrect information with the intention of malice is dangerous …
“Yet Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have allowed disinformation and fake science to thrive, rewarding the Disinfo Dozen for sharing inaccurate content that goes viral due to your platforms’ biased algorithms that sensationalize content and prioritize clicks and engagement rather than the truth. Anti-vaccine ’activists, including the Disinfo Dozen, reach more than 62 million followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, bringing in upwards of $1.1 billion in annual revenue for social media giants…”
The letter, which was written by the national gender equity organization UltraViolet and co-organized with Center for Countering Digital Hate, has been signed by AI for the People, Alianza for Progress, Center for Civic Policy, Creators of The Social Dilemma, Dr. Jay Bhatt, LLC, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Free Press, Friends of the Earth, GLAAD, Kairos, Media Matters for America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Peninsula 360 Press, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, ProgressNow New Mexico, Reality Team, Reproaction, SumOfUs, The Sparrow Project, #ThisIsOurShot, Western States Center, and Women’s March.
Although Facebook and Twitter have committed to curbing the spread of disinformation on their platforms, they have not deplatformed the “Disinformation Dozen.” According to analysis from a sample of 812,000 Facebook and Twitter shares and posts by the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Anti-Vax Watch, 65% of anti-vaccine content is directly linked to at least one of the twelve accounts, their affiliated organizations, or co-conspirators. The accounts are run specifically by Joseph Mercola, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Christiane Northrup, Erin Elizabeth, Sayer Ji, Charlene & Ty Bollinger, Sherri Tenpenny, Ben Tapper, Kelly Brogan, Rizza Islam, Rashid Buttar, and Kevin Jenkins.
“The absurdity that a tiny group of anti-vaxxers is responsible for the onslaught of quack science and disinformation surrounding COVID-19 and vaccines across social media is truly embarrassing and bizarre,” said Bridget Todd,Communications Director at UltraViolet. “What’s more absurd is that c-level executives at Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are aware of the issue, yet refuse to act by deplatforming the users responsible. Stopping the spread of disinformation about vaccines in particular is a matter of life and death. Particularly with new COVID-19 variants entering the country, this is quite literally a matter of life or death. While Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and Jack Dorsey are seemingly content to do nothing, their brazen prioritization of profit over human life speaks volumes.”
“Tech CEOs were confronted with CCDH’s findings on the Disinformation Dozen when they testified before Congress in March. Despite countless promises and piecemeal efforts at enforcement, the Disinformation Dozen are still free to spread dangerous anti-vaxx misinformation to millions,” said Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate. “Time and time again, Facebook, Twitter and Google have failed to enforce their policies and allowed misinformation to run rampant on their platforms. With the Delta variant spreading and vaccination rates plateauing, we’re asking once again for Big Tech to finish the job: deplatform known spreaders of disinformation.”
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