Facebook says it won't be “distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts” in response to Biden's comment that social media is “killing people”

Facebook fired back on Friday evening after President Biden earlier said that social media platforms are …

Axios 2021-07-17 Gigi Sukin

Context & Ripple Effects

The White House had urged Facebook to do more on COVID-19 vaccine misinformation after Biden said platforms were "killing people." Facebook answered with its own claim of a 50% decline in vaccine hesitancy among U.S. users, turning the dispute into a contest over the platform's public-health record.

The exchange soon narrowed when Biden said he meant leading misinformation spreaders, while still asking Facebook to reduce misinformation. That distinction matters because it shifts the immediate demand from a blanket indictment of social media to action against particular accounts and content.

First-order effects

Facebook publicly rejects the White House's characterization and defends its existing misinformation response with its internal vaccine-hesitancy data.
Biden's criticism puts Facebook under direct political pressure to demonstrate that it is reducing vaccine misinformation, rather than merely contesting the accusation.

Second-order effects

The administration's later focus on top misinformation spreaders makes account-level enforcement the more immediate test for Facebook, instead of a broad judgment on all user content.
Facebook's use of internal metrics invites the policy debate to center on what evidence should measure a platform's health-information performance.

Third-order effects

The episode points toward a governance model in which public officials press platforms to police harmful information while platforms defend their decisions through proprietary moderation and outcome data.
If that pattern persists, disputes over misinformation will increasingly turn on who defines the relevant metric and whether platform-reported evidence is accepted as sufficient accountability.

The trend: Platform misinformation governance is moving from general political condemnation toward fights over enforcement targets and the evidence used to assess results.

Discussion

@peteralexander Peter Alexander on x
JUST IN: @Facebook responds to Biden ("They're killing people") re: COVID misinformation: “The facts show Facebook is helping save lives. Period.” Full statement here. https://twitter.com/...
@dylanbyers Dylan Byers on x
FACEBOOK official: “In private exchanges the Surgeon General has praised our work, including our efforts to inform people about COVID-19. They knew what they were doing. The White House is looking for scapegoats for missing their vaccine goals.”
@jesselehrich Jesse Lehrich on x
the audacity to troll the US gov't for missing vaccination goals while serving as the global HQ for deadly anti-vaxx propaganda is sickening. https://twitter.com/...
@juddlegum Judd Legum on x
Not a meaningful stat unless Facebook reveals how many people viewed vaccine disinformation on Facebook https://twitter.com/...
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
Seriously, who the fuck is the White House to be dictating who should and should not be banned from social media platforms, to keep lists of who they think are the spreaders of “misinformation,” and then pressure companies they regulate to obey? This is pernicious shit: https://t…
@ccadelago Christopher Cadelago on x
Source close to White House pushes back on Facebook and this official: “For people who are volunteering that they're innocent, their response is giving off strong ‘if I did it’ vibes.” https://twitter.com/...
@datadrivenmd Jorge A. Caballero on x
It takes a lot to get me to side with Facebook on the topic of vaccine misinformation, but the White House managed to do it So, congrats, or whatever. smdh /x https://twitter.com/...
@armano David Armano on x
Hm. Feels taken from a certain playbook https://twitter.com/...
@mattzeitlin Matthew Zeitlin on x
i think you can be leery of the white house spokesperson trying to direct content moderation policy from the podium but this is laughably non-responsive to the critique being made https://twitter.com/...
@tvietor08 Tommy Vietor on x
Quite something that after years of abuse by Trump, this is the presidential fight that Facebook decides to pick. https://twitter.com/...
@susannadodgson DR Sj on x
Amazing. FB pays its executives billions, and gets a summer intern to write this response. https://twitter.com/...
@lemberg Mikael Lemberg on x
@rashadrobinson @ChelseaClinton Both viewpoints can be true at the same time. Facebook can be saving the lives of those who use their vaccine finder tools etc. while other people die because they believe in myths they have seen on social media.
@moonalice Roger McNamee on x
Facebook's rebuttal to President Biden is consistent with every FB denial. When challenged about algorithmic amplification, they try to change the subject to something with a big number that sounds good. They always do this. Period. https://twitter.com/...
@thekenyeung Ken Yeung on x
Looks like Facebook isn't afraid to take on the president. Quite vocal compared to the last guy. https://twitter.com/...
@timwattsmp Tim Watts MP on x
Hard to grapple with these ‘facts’ without sufficient transparency being provided to independent third party researchers to evaluate these claims. I only have the anec-data of my public Facebook page which constantly gets flooded with medical misinformation. https://twitter.com/.…
@karissabe Karissa Bell on x
Seems like a good time to remind everyone that until very recently Facebook did very little to stop vaccine misinformation bc the company (including Zuckerberg) kept bizarrely insisting that vaccine misinformation wasn't likely to cause “imminent harm”
@charlesarthur Charles Arthur on x
Strategies not to try: blaming the administration for something else when it points out you've got a core of antivaxxers on your platform spreading lies. Classic bit of whataboutery which I never expected to see Facebook adopt. https://twitter.com/...
@mc_of_a Michael Caley on x
Facebook's response to “they're killing people” is to point out how many people they *haven't* killed https://twitter.com/...
@grady_booch Grady Booch on x
“We don't kill THAT many people.” Facebook is a profoundly unethical company, and it starts at the top, with Mark. https://twitter.com/...
@ryanhanrahan Ryan Hanrahan on x
What they don't mention (of course) is how disinformation runs rampant on their platform (and amplified by their algorithms) and they could care less. https://twitter.com/...
@micahgrimes Micah Grimes on x
Two things can be true at once: - Facebook does a lot of good on the information front. - Facebook won't close the Pandora's box it created, because the box is the business model, for good and for very bad. https://twitter.com/...
@campuscodi Catalin Cimpanu on x
“accusations not supported by facts” jfc... the nerve https://twitter.com/...
@redsteeze Stephen L. Miller on x
Remember Joe Biden set his goals for his administration low and was cheered and applauded when he met them. He doesn't meet the vaccination rate he set and now it's Facebook's fault.
@kevincollier Kevin Collier on x
I can't get over how revealing this statement is, how quintessentially Facebook. The self-righteous indignation that because it steered some to vaccines, it's beyond reproach. Measuring your ethics by tallying good actions vs bad ones on your own abacus. A facsimile of morality. …
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
This is a common FB way of responding to criticism: saying “look at the bigger number.” Like when Zuckerberg says misinfo is a small portion of the overall information shared on Facebook. It's also a fact that viral/sensational/fearful claims on FB have kept people from shots. ht…
@dorriequinn Lapilotodelasmontanas on x
@rashadrobinson That statement is embarrassing and frankly, juvenile. “How can we help work with you on this? We want to help save lives. “We understand the reach our platform has & are committed to filtering out disinformation”. would have been the correct response. @MarkZuckerb…
@sheeraf Sheera Frenkel on x
Facebook's statement today is a perfect example of the deflection they do best, (and which we document in our book An Ugly Truth). They can direct some people to vaccines while at the same time directing other people to harmful, anti-vaccine misinformation. https://twitter.com/..…
@rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x
Statements like these exemplify the flaw in Facebook's thinking that good and bad can be weighed out on a scale. Connecting the world can't be seen as a net good if the negative externalities are genocide or election interference or health misinformation. https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
I see @Dani_Lever made the statements. Not enough strength to tell her leadership it's a terrible statement and maybe instead they need to take their foot off the profit pedal and care about civil society for a moment. https://twitter.com/...
@mattnegrin @mattnegrin on x
Facebook is a right-wing propaganda outlet and this is a statement written by an anonymous apparatchik who will be advising Tucker Carlson's exploratory campaign in two years https://twitter.com/...
@peterhotez Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD on x
Actually WhiteHouse, HHS, Media have failed (again) to explain basis for antivaccine antiscience disinformation in America. Now dumbed down to the point where it's just false. As an expert (because I've been the lead target 🎯 for the past decade) will issue a statement on Monday …
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Wow. That's a dumb a$$ statement from Facebook pointing out WE ALL were a few percent off the 70% vaccine target. And to do it anonymously through a spokesman to one of Sandberg's favorite journalists. Spineless. https://twitter.com/...
@mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x
The fact that Facebook is declining to do what the administration wants seems like a problem for the theory that we are witnessing the total fusion of state & corporate power in the creation of a new censorship regime. https://twitter.com/...
@rashadrobinson Rashad Robinson on x
This embarrassing statement from Facebook leadership has to make some of the staff uncomfortable, angry and motivated to do something. So many folks in the company know better. Now its time we hear from them, its time they decide who they want to be in the story of this moment. h…
@rflaherty46 Rob Flaherty on x
I guess I'm left with a simple question: How many people have seen COVID vaccine misinformation on Facebook? https://twitter.com/...
@ratherreadabook @ratherreadabook on x
@rashadrobinson @KevinMKruse Facebook employees are like many Republican politicians: they are fine with lots of people getting COVID, or even dying from it, as long as they get to keep their jobs. Speaking out could help save lives, but could also lead to them losing their jobs.…
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
We've seen this in video metrics, fake accounts, all over the board. It's why they have a fraud case and their longtime top advertising exec resigned on the eve of docs being unsealed. Everything is a PR operation. Give nothing. https://twitter.com/...
@thehill @thehill on x
Reporter: “What's your message to platforms like Facebook?” President Biden: “They're killing people.” https://twitter.com/...
@jesselehrich Jesse Lehrich on x
per @crowdtangle data, this is the top Facebook post in the entire U.S. about vaccines today: https://twitter.com/...
@anthony @anthony on x
These are the top two posts for “Vaccine” on Facebook in the last 12 hours according to Facebook's Crowdtangle audience insights tool. Greene's post has 6x shares than the Biden one. https://twitter.com/...
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Wow. Remarkable statement. So much tension between White House and Facebook right now. Heard from a source that WH incredibly frustrated after months of asking FB for data on vaccine misinfo that company, despite saying in public they want to work with WH, isn't sharing https://t…
@dylanbyers Dylan Byers on x
Biden takes it to 11: “They're killing people,” he says of Facebook. https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
This is stunning thing to say, even if true. https://twitter.com/...
@chelseaclinton Chelsea Clinton on x
President Biden is correct. Misinformation is dangerous, even deadly, and rampant on @facebook. The company doesn't care enough to even follow its own protocols on taking down covid-19 related lies. As @JesseLehrich points out, here is the most popular FB post today: https://twit…
@terronk @terronk on x
Treating Facebook as our sacrificial lamb in the strict Biblical sense is distracting us from dealing with our problems. We need solutions to the antivaxx movement, not misplaced blame. https://twitter.com/...
@thebrandonmorse Brandon Morse on x
Was he instructed to go for the most dramatic answer possible? Voting rights is worse than the civil war. Facebook is killing people. Ffs, I don't like Zuck as much as the next guy but let's calm the f down. https://twitter.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
I promise you my reflexive instinct is to fear and distrust any government speech regulation, but maybe take a beat and put things into perspective
@benshapiro Ben Shapiro on x
Treat neutral platforms as violent enemies unless they comply with your censorship requests; threaten legislation and regulation until they curtail free dissemination of information. The end goal here is the weaponization of social media, of course.
@saracarterdc Sara A. Carter on x
Yikes!!! FB is killing people? According to President Biden https://twitter.com/...
@polisciprofhi Andrea Malji on x
I know Biden's referencing Covid and FB has already responded saying they have no role in disinformation that kills...but I would draw attention to FB's formal apology for its role in spreading violence in Myanmar and Sri Lanka that literally killed ppl. https://thediplomat.com/.…
@esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x
All of this goes back to 2016. These people believe in their bones that Trump was only elected because of “misinformation”. Their solution is to rig the platforms instead of ask why so many millions lost trust in all our institutions in the first place https://twitter.com/...
@andrewcfollett Andrew Follett on x
What's amazing here is that the Libs at Facebook didn't see this coming...they thought they could appease the Dem 🐊 by censoring conservatives. But that only ended up with them getting eaten later... https://twitter.com/...
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
There's a whole community on TikTok (you can find them here on Twitter, too) which scorns people as “fatphobic” for encouraging fitness and weight loss. They falsely say obesity isn't unhealthy. Should that be allowed? Are social media companies that allow it “killing people”? ht…
@sarahfrier Sarah Frier on x
little has changed since we wrote this: https://www.bloomberg.com/... the same antivaxx groups we cited in this story are still full of activity. https://twitter.com/...
@kurtwagner8 Kurt Wagner on x
Well over as year into the pandemic, and the President of the United States says that Covid misinfo on sites Facebook is killing people https://twitter.com/...
@politicalelle Erielle Davidson on x
Every corrupt regime since the beginning of time has framed its silencing of citizens as being in the public good. https://twitter.com/...
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
An under-appreciated part of the WH rhetoric the past few days is how it'll enable and give cover to authoritarians to say the same things https://twitter.com/...
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
This is Facebook's own data. https://twitter.com/...
@roi Roi Carthy on x
Happy weekend Joel Kaplan. https://twitter.com/...
@hofftechpolicy David Hoffman on x
Platform Accountability means understanding the impact of your product and taking responsible steps to reduce the harm it causes to individuals and society. Instead their algorithms reduce the effectiveness of counter-speech and amplify the harm. https://twitter.com/...
@reckless Nilay Patel on x
Trump spent four years brandishing 230 reform as an overt threat to influence platform moderation and now everyone is biting on bad-faith GOP criticism of the White House trying to combat vaccine misinfo, please, I beg you, get smarter https://www.theverge.com/...
@dylanbyers Dylan Byers on x
The President of the United States saying that a specific business — in this case, Facebook — is “killing people” is... you know... a big deal.
@benshapiro Ben Shapiro on x
This is authoritarian nonsense https://twitter.com/...
@kari_jerge @kari_jerge on x
Biden's team is a day late and a dollar short with this one. I agree, wholeheartedly and 💯. And also where was this public campaign the second he took office? These words needed to be said months ago. To me, this has seems to be too little too late. 😔 https://twitter.com/...
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
Are social media companies also guilty of “killing people” if they allow content encouraging people to be obese, to consume fatty junk food, content which glorifies cigarette smoking and large amounts of alcohol consumption and a sedentary lifestyle? https://twitter.com/...
@xpangler Todd Spangler on x
Facebook, responding to Biden's comments, said: “We will not be distracted by accusations which aren't supported by the facts” https://variety.com/...
@alexthomp Alex Thompson on x
Reporter: “What's your message to platforms like Facebook?” President Biden: “They're killing people. The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated and they're killing people” https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
Klain: “But I think that there is just no question that a lot of misinformation about the vaccines is coming from postings on Facebook. And this is a life or death situation here. And it's pretty straightforward, right?”
@ggreeneva Greg Greene on x
When President Biden said today that Facebook was “killing people,” the company deserved every bit of that rebuke. https://twitter.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
tough week for fb! https://twitter.com/...
@w7voa Steve Herman on x
Steps @Facebook has taken are “clearly not” enough, says @PressSec. “It's clear there are more that can be taken.”
@thefirstontv @thefirstontv on x
Psaki says if you're banned on one social media platform you should be banned on every social media platform. https://twitter.com/...
@normative Julian Sanchez on x
(1) Quite apart from the merits, the White House should stop presuming to tell private companies how to moderate user speech. (2) On the merits, that's an incredibly dumb idea on multiple levels. https://twitter.com/...
@acyn @acyn on x
Psaki: There's about 12 people who are producing 65% of anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. All of them remain active on Facebook despite some being banned on other platforms including ones that Facebook owns https://twitter.com/...
@brad_polumbo @brad_polumbo on x
The White House and federal government should have ZERO say or input into who is banned from what social media platform. https://twitter.com/...
@newslitproject @newslitproject on x
1/ “For social media companies, misinformation is like secondhand smoke, spreading falsehoods to millions before the truth can be known.” Smart piece by @BostonJoan & @jennifer_nilsen after the @Surgeon_General called misinfo a health hazard. https://www.nbcnews.com/...
@bostonjoan Joan Donovan on x
NEW: The Surgeon General's advisory about health misinformation gives regulators necessary knowledge to empower a cross-sector field to counter media manipulation. But, Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies need to be treated like Big Tobacco https://www.nbcnews.com/…
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
If we break up Facebook all the content moderation problems will be solved because now companies will compete to... oh, wait. https://twitter.com/...
@fdahealthequity FDA Minority on x
The @Surgeon_General's Advisory on Confronting Health Misinformation makes it clear that addressing health misinformation will require a whole-of-society effort. We all share in the responsibility, and we pledge to play our part. Read more at https://surgeongeneral.gov/... https:…
@walshfreedom Joe Walsh on x
Facebook is a private entity. I didn't like it when the Trump administration told Facebook what to do, and I don't like it when the Biden administration does the same. It's not the government's job to moderate Facebook. It's Facebook's job. https://twitter.com/...
@hhs_ash Dr. Rachel Levine on x
Health misinformation is an urgent threat to our health that requires an all-of-society response. Read the @Surgeon_General's new advisory to find out what you can do to act: https://surgeongeneral.gov/... https://twitter.com/...
@davidafrench David French on x
Moderation is a platform decision, not a White House decision. Trying to force more moderation is as constitutionally problematic as trying to force less moderation. https://twitter.com/...
@gopleader Kevin McCarthy on x
The Biden Administration just announced they are working with Facebook to censor more Americans. Big Tech and Big Government want the same thing → to control you. As a reminder, America is a land of FREEDOM.
@surgeon_general @surgeon_general on x
Today I issued a Surgeon General's Advisory to call our country's attention to health misinformation - an urgent threat to our health that requires an all-of-society response. https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@surgeon_general @surgeon_general on x
Each of us has the power to stop health misinformation in its tracks. So the next time you want to share a health-related article or video, check your sources and make sure the information is backed by scientific experts. If you're not sure, don't share. #NotSharingIsCaring https…
@cbsnews @cbsnews on x
Psaki says the White House is working with social platforms to help get trusted content out, flagging misinformation and has proposed multiple changes to how COVID-19 information is monitored and measured on social platforms, including Facebook. https://twitter.com/...
@tomcottonar Tom Cotton on x
The White House wants to censor “misinformation” on Facebook while President Biden claims that voter ID laws are worse than Jim Crow.
@senronjohnson Senator Ron Johnson on x
Exactly what is the Surgeon General calling misinformation? Without specifics, he is guilty of his own accusation. His job is to provide the public information they need to make an informed choice. He should respect their intelligence and freedom. https://twitter.com/...
@surgeon_general @surgeon_general on x
We all have the power and responsibility to confront health misinformation. That's why we included recommendations for individuals, educators, researchers, health professionals, tech companies, and more. Learn how you can act at https://surgeongeneral.gov/.... https://twitter.com…
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
The Biden administration is telling Facebook which posts it regards as “problematic” so that Facebook can remove them. This is the union of corporate and state power — one of the classic hallmarks of fascism — that the people who spent 5 years babbling about fascism support. http…
@ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald on x
As I've documented before, the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment's free speech guarantee is violated when government officials pressure or coerce private actors to censor for them. That is exactly what the Biden WH is doing with Facebook: https://greenwald.substack…
@brandyzadrozny Brandy Zadrozny on x
The most ironic part? CrowdTangle gathered some of the most adversarial tech reporters and connected them with Facebook product and policy employees and actual probably engendered goodwill. Like it was probably a net PR win. But short-sighted Growth execs were mad...about a list.
@brandyzadrozny Brandy Zadrozny on x
For the foreseeable future, this account is just a vehicle to retweet this story about how Facebook is choosing to nuke a team that actually increased understanding of the threats posed on Facebook because it slightly annoyed a handful of executives. https://twitter.com/...
@doctorow Cory Doctorow on x
Facebook's attack on Crowdtangle is significant, especially in light of its sustained assault on independent accountability and transparency tools like Ad Observer, a project from NYU's engineering school. https://pluralistic.net/... 10/
@fboversight @fboversight on x
Company over country https://twitter.com/...
@doctorow Cory Doctorow on x
It's hard to overstate how deranged this is: surely Zuckerberg presents a different facet of his identity to his spouse, his kids, his shareholders, his co-workers and the press. It's not “two faced” to talk to your boss differently from how you talk to your lover. 24/
@doctorow Cory Doctorow on x
Facebook's desire to “control the narrative” is part of this intellectual tradition, and it's hardly the first time the company has done it. Early in the company's history, Zuckerberg defended his “real names” policy by saying that anyone who objected was “two-faced.” 23/
@danpriceseattle Dan Price on x
@Acyn @stephhegarty Mark Zuckerberg is now worth $129 billion, and he's gotten $74 billion richer in the pandemic. As long as people keep flocking to FB, that's all they care about.
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
@MLnieto Everyone at Facebook is obsessed with analysis and metrics and yet somehow they don't think about those metrics at all?
@maziehirono Senator Mazie Hirono on x
CrowdTangle data shows what we already know: that right-wing disinformation and hate speech are rampant on @Facebook. The response? The company considers less transparency. When is Mark Zuckerberg going to realize Facebook doesn't have an image problem—Facebook is the problem?
@liz_wheeler Liz Wheeler on x
If the White House is flagging “misinformation” on Facebook for Facebook to censor... doesn't that mean that FB is acting as an arm of the state in which case wouldn't free speech be constitutionally protected on the platform?
@mtgreenee @mtgreenee on x
This is how communism starts. The White House is working with Facebook to censor your post which is violating your free speech because people want to discuss (on FB) a NON-FDA approved vaccine that the Biden admin wants to force you to take.
@aslavitt @aslavitt on x
Today the @Surgeon_General classified misinformation as a public health danger. Purveyors of lies about vaccines are as dangerous as people who dump toxins in our lakes and rivers.
@jj_rochester Jennifer Johnson on x
Part of my job is to team up w/ @DocEMurray and work with our @URMed_GCH staff to feel prepared & comfortable in working with media and social media to spread credible knowledge and combat misinformation. We're grateful to @GCHPedsChair for supporting this and for this message ⬇️…
@kjp46 Karine Jean-Pierre on x
In a new Surgeon General's Advisory, the Surgeon General is warning the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation & calling for a whole-of-society approach to address health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. https://www.hhs.gov/...
@arneduncan Arne Duncan on x
Thanks @Surgeon_General for your critically important leadership! We must all work together, with everything we have, to combat two interrelated public health crises: COVID and misinformation. Both have, and will continue, to kill us if we don't stop them. https://twitter.com/...
@kmunoz46 Kevin Munoz on x
Tune in shortly to hear the Surgeon General speak to the urgent issue of addressing health misinformation. It is on all of us to do more to ensure every American can make an informed decision on the facts for their health. https://twitter.com/...
@pturnermd @pturnermd on x
Health misinformation is literally killing us as a society. Glad that the @Surgeon_General is addressing this. Lack of health literacy is one thing (which also needs to be addressed), but flagrant articulation/amplification of misinformation is the scourge of #COVID19 times. http…
@sabrevaya Sandra Abrevaya on x
As @PressSec said, there's about 12 people who are producing 65% of the anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms. Addressing health misinformation saves lives. Thank you @Surgeon_General and @ewwaldo for your leadership. https://twitter.com/...
@meganfoxwriter Megan Fox on x
I think this means we can FOIA all White House communications with Facebook... https://twitter.com/...
@jackposobiec Jack Posobiec on x
I told you the Biden Admin was working on lists https://twitter.com/...
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
The Surgeon General's advisory on misinfo mostly just repeats the regular platitudes & avoids the hard qs but something that stuck out is that it stops short of calling on platforms to *take down* “misinformation” Outside the binary! You love to see it. https://www.hhs.gov/... ht…

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