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'Facebook Isn't Killing People' -- Biden Walks Back Attack Over Vaccine Lies (cnbc.com) 241

President Joe Biden walked back some of his criticism of Facebook, saying Monday he meant to accuse a dozen users, but not the social media platform itself, of spreading deadly lies about Covid vaccines. From a report: "Facebook isn't killing people," Biden said. Biden added that he hopes Facebook will do more to fight "the outrageous misinformation" about coronavirus vaccines being spread on its platform "instead of taking it personally that somehow I'm saying Facebook is killing people." Last week, Biden appeared to say just that: Asked outside the White House what his message was to platforms like Facebook regarding Covid disinformation, Biden said, "They're killing people. I mean they really, look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and that's -- they're killing people," Biden said Friday.
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'Facebook Isn't Killing People' -- Biden Walks Back Attack Over Vaccine Lies

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  • Yes, they ARE (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tablizer ( 95088 ) on Monday July 19, 2021 @12:33PM (#61598031) Journal

    BS is killing people, and Facebook is a primary BS magnifier due to their eyeball-seeking algorithms. Joe was right the first time, although it's not a diplomatic way to say it.

    • QFT.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by GameboyRMH ( 1153867 )

      Yes, saying that Facebook isn't killing people is like saying that guns don't kill people...sure, not on their own, but they sure make the act far easier to carry out at scale and distance. If you put Facebook on the dictator body count scoreboard by deaths facilitated, they'd be in the top 15 for sure.

      • Citation needed. IOW, do you have any evidence of this?

        Preferably with verifiable numbers...

        • We largely can't trace deaths by propaganda, hate speech, and disinformation definitively back to Facebook posts, but I think the most solid connections can be made to the Rohingya genocide, and COVID-19-era vaccine disinformation, especially in the US. The Rohingya genocide has killed about 20,000~40,000, and about 400,000 people have died from COVID19 in the US. If we estimate that both of those problems would've been only half as bad without Facebook, those two would immediately put Facebook behind Basha

      • Yes, saying that Facebook isn't killing people is like saying that guns don't kill people...

        Guns don't kill people, bullets do. Facebook is a gun, misinformation are (is?) the bullets. People pull the trigger either way.

        (Or maybe Facebook is Texas (now) allowing anyone to open carry without a license or any training at all ...)

      • Then why FB in particular?
        There are TONS of social media systems that encourage people to spread stupid shit all day long.

        Youtube absolutely.
        Twitter absolutely.

        Why - I'm seriously asking - is FB the particular whipping boy? I know the answer. Do you?

        • I think the answer is that Facebook is the practical-monopoly option for full-featured general-purpose social networking sites, and one of the most lax on moderation, but feel free to tell me why you think Facebook is getting the most flack at the moment.

      • Yes, saying that Facebook isn't killing people is like saying that guns don't kill people...sure, not on their own, but they sure make the act far easier to carry out at scale and distance.

        Hardly. Guns are a tool designed for killing. Facebook is a tool designed for people to share shit they think other people may see powered by an algorithm that promotes people based on guesses.

        In your analogy Facebook would be like the marketing company profiting from gun manufacturers putting guns on billboards all over the city which people are using to kill.

    • BS is killing people, and Facebook is a primary BS magnifier due to their eyeball-seeking algorithms

      BS does not kill people, what kills people is not being able to get all sides of a story to make up their own minds properly. Attempting to block an opinion is just another form of amplification, a way to take an idea that might have just dies off naturally and give it extra longevity because no-one can talk about it openly - all they can do is believe it may be correct because there is so much energy around

      • by Tablizer ( 95088 ) on Monday July 19, 2021 @01:20PM (#61598245) Journal

        BS does not kill people, what kills people is not being able to get all sides of a story to make up their own minds properly.

        Unfortunately most don't. Americans are morons who lack critical thinking skills. I even personally know evangelicals who say they'll pray about it and then go with their gut feeling. Unfortunately, their gut has a poor track record.

        I have no problems with stupids killing themselves (except for maybe family), but when they take others with them, it's a problem. It's similar to the problem of pollution: it "leaks out" beyond those who profit from the shortcuts that lead to pollution and from those who think gov't scientists exaggerate the effects of pollution because they are "commies addicted to regulation". Stupidity doesn't respect walls. Pollution and viruses don't respect political boundaries. As is often quoted: "Your freedom [to be a moron] ends where my nose starts."

        By censoring, Facebook and Twitter are at times censoring valid and healthy opinions that would have saved lives, has they not been blocked

        No human-built system is 100% perfect. It may kill 7, but save 10k on the other end.

        I'd actually like to see warning labels instead of bans. For example, "The medical opinion expressed in this post may not reflect the majority of qualified medical experts. We advise you to seek the opinion of other qualified medical experts to get a more well-rounded viewpoint. Here are some suggested links..."

        • by jabuzz ( 182671 )

          Why does giving medical advice on Facebook not count as practising medicine without a license? If one where to try giving medical advice in the real world rather than on social media that would not last very long.

        • Unfortunately most don't. Americans are morons who lack critical thinking skills.

          Uah. Typical America is number 1 bullshit. We in the rest of the world have morons too. You're not the best at everything, including stupidity.

      • by GoTeam ( 5042081 )
        That fact that USAicans have equated health choices to political parties is hurting people as well. Do we blame all the political parties that lie constantly? Honestly, if someone who had covered up their complicity in cancer deaths (and later been caught and had to pay out huge settlements) told me a new soda would prevent cancer, I wouldn't trust them, even if they told me I'd die if I didn't drink it.

        They could be telling the truth, but it's up to individual to weigh the pros and cons of a decision. I
        • by PPH ( 736903 )

          That fact that USAicans have equated health choices to political parties

          Which is funny. Because vaccine R&D, production and initial distribution [nih.gov] was all done by the Trump administration.

          • by GoTeam ( 5042081 )
            Wow, I didn't know the Trump admin did all the vaccine R&D and production. We are all aware of the administration in power during the research and creation of vaccines. However, the research and creation of vaccines was done around the world by different people with their own personal political beliefs.

            What purpose do you serve by making something more political than it has to be? The above comment was either a confused troll (hopefully) or someone who wanted to give an example of the problem I stated
            • by PPH ( 736903 )

              done around the world by different people with their own personal political beliefs.

              But funded by the Trump administration in this country.

              What purpose do you serve by making something more political than it has to be?

              Just pointing out the incongruities in various right wing groups pushing back against the same vaccine that their leader pushed for. But my mention of the name "Trump" has apparently triggered a severe TDS reaction.

      • Ah yes the side of science and the other side is the vaccine is made from aborted fetuses.

      • by Agent.Nihilist ( 1228864 ) on Monday July 19, 2021 @01:54PM (#61598365)

        It's not imbalance, but false balance.

        Your CDC example is perfect for this.

        The CDC changed stance on masks because the circumstances changed. They were initially more concerned about a panic exacerbating a a shortage amount medical personnel(a concern proven very real), and then that priority shifted when BOTH more data on cloth mask effectiveness(not N95) came and out the scale of the pandemic had increased.

        No legitimate criticism of this was ever blocked or censored. No, the problem was that an 'equal' counter position against this was fabricated to create false balance, and instead of focusing on actually important issues, this was polarized into a hyper partisan debate that's greatly undermined the ability to convey clear information.

        That's the problem. No agency is perfect and they need oversight and criticism, but that needs to be grounded in reality and good faith. Creating proxy fights and false balance to drive viewership is the deadly act here.

        • The CDC changed stance on masks because the circumstances changed. They were initially more concerned about a panic exacerbating a a shortage amount medical personnel(a concern proven very real), and then that priority shifted when BOTH more data on cloth mask effectiveness(not N95) came and out the scale of the pandemic had increased.

          What "changed" is that government officials stoped lying about masks, which they knew from the beginning would help stop the spread of the virus. There is no reason whatsoever

      • BS does not kill people, what kills people is not being able to get all sides of a story to make up their own minds properly.

        One doesn't really need *all* sides for some things. For example, if someone speculates that maybe injecting Bleach will cure COVID, (a) any semi-intelligent adult -- especially one who's actually used bleach -- should know that's a bad idea and (b) when every scientist and health professional in the world says that's a bad idea, you shouldn't really need to hear any of the "pro" arguments.

        People that believe some BS are doing so because they believe the source to be honest, knowledgeable, responsible, a

      • Not all stories have multiple sides, though. At least, not before somebody with an agenda makes them up.

      • by tsqr ( 808554 )

        what kills people is not being able to get all sides of a story to make up their own minds properly.

        Actually, most people are far less interested in getting all sides of a story than they are in having their personal beliefs and prejudices reinforced by being immersed in the personal beliefs and prejudices of like-minded people.

      • BS does not kill people, what kills people is not being able to get all sides of a story to make up their own minds properly.

        Bullshit.

        The coronavirus is lethal. Masks slows transmission. The vaccines basically stops it in it's tracks. The vaccines are safe.

        Those are facts. There are no alternatives. There isn't "two sides" to be had.

        Bullshit, such as that you're spewing, has killed people. It's continuing to kill people.

    • Oh bullshit.

      If I call you up on the phone and say the world is flat, it's the phone company's fault you believe me?

      Jesus wept.

      I find FB repellent, and only use it when I have absolutely no other choice (our kids' stupid marching band ONLY updates parents via FB, ew), but this is ridiculous.

      SO...by your logic, I guess we should shut down twitter since they were instrumental in 'convincing' the fucking morons January 6th to storm the capital?

  • This is the speech of someone that doesn't understand the problem.

    Biden, like most older lawmakers, simply can not wrap their world view around the amount of influence social platforms now have in the 'american voice'. That while those few problem actors are directly responsible for the majority of misinformation, they exist and are able to utilize that influence simply because those platforms allow them.

    Social platforms can easily identity these groups, especially as they don't bother to hide. They let the

  • by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Monday July 19, 2021 @01:22PM (#61598251)

    it's lack of education.

    Anybody who's gone through a decent number of years in a decent schooling system can apply critical thinking and see a ridiculous conspiracy theory spewed on social media for what it really is.

    When a sizable portion of the adult population of one of the most developed country in the world believes in utter bullshit, that's a problem of education. The education system is to blame in the US, and that responsibility lies squarely with the administration - i.e. Biden's and a large number of his predecessors'.

    • by Dan667 ( 564390 )
      and not betsy devos? wow, how short memories are.
    • by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Monday July 19, 2021 @05:01PM (#61598973)

      Anybody who's gone through a decent number of years in a decent schooling system can apply critical thinking and see a ridiculous conspiracy theory spewed on social media for what it really is.

      But when is a conspiracy theory obvious? Sure the FBI blowing up the world trade centre, and Bill Gates microchips in the vaccine turning people magnetic would qualify. But what about the more subtle things? My parents are well educated and don't fall for bullshit, but they were taken down the road of complete vaccine skepticism during COVID for conspiracies which peddled half truths which require quite a bit of research to dig through and debunk. That's what's really dangerous.

      Examples:
      - The vaccine can't be trusted because the approval process was rushed and done in record time under emergency powers. Most of that post is true. Though careful research would replace the word "can't" with the word "can" and the word "rushed" with the word "optimised". But it stands to reason that people instantly agree with this without dissecting it because as everyone can see, it was in fact much faster to market than any other drug.

      - Or: mRNA vaccines can't be trusted because this is the first mRNA vaccine and we have no long term experience with them. Most of that post is true. But carefully looking into the history shows that we have been trialling mRNA in animals and people for 20 years now. While we may not have used them in vaccines before we have trialled them in other therapies and have data on the body's long term reaction to them, enough data that two drug companies didn't go out on a moonshot here, but rather went straight to mRNA as a likely quick way of delivering a viable vaccine based on the knowledge they already had.

      This stuff doesn't require further education to get to the bottom of. It requires actual serious effort, the kind which most people are not willing to put in. The only thing which is left then is listening to experts and taking it on faith that they have your good interest at heart. And which experts do you trust then? Reminder that the anti-vax movement was started by an (at the time) qualified and registered doctor.

    • Education isn't the problem, the American Regime is with its massive propaganda network. That right now is ginning up regime change on Cuba for suppressing internet freedom at the same time it's calling for a social media death penalty and threatening tech companies if they don't censor.

  • I've got a hard time imagining you get as powerful as Zuckerberg and associates without making a few problems go away. The idea that free speech should be curtailed is a bad one, though.
  • I wonder what would happen if they only recently found that asbestos caused cancer. Would we be seeing patriots for asbestos or stop making asbestos political messages?

  • ... power to them.
  • So they're responsible.

  • 'Facebook Isn't Killing People' -- Biden Walks Back Lie About Facebook
    • They said we need internet censorship because Russians.
      They said we need internet censorship because Covid.
      They said we need internet censorship because 1/6.
      They said we need internet censorship because domestic extremists.

      Pretty sure they just want internet censorship.

      Caitlin Johnstone [twitter.com]

    Shitlibs cheered when Alex Jones got kicked off multiple social media platforms on the same day, and now Jen Propagandaski is openly calling for a social media death penalty. But how about your boss, Jen? Biden is an even m

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