Status: 10/15/2021 10:21 a.m.
US attorneys general put pressure on Facebook. They want to find out if the biggest spreaders of misinformation about corona vaccines receive preferential treatment.
Attorneys-General from 14 US states want to know from Facebook whether prominent anti-vaccination opponents have benefited from preferential treatment on the online network. In a letter to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg published on Thursday, they refer to media reports that the online network had made exceptions to the enforcement of its content rules for known users.
The controversial system that is said to have made this possible is called “cross-check”. It’s been causing trouble for Facebook for weeks. According to Facebook, it was introduced to avoid content removal errors. In some cases, such decisions are subject to a second review – for example, to take into account additional context or other factors such as newsworthiness.
Exceptions to “cross-check” for vaccine opponents?
The attorneys general are now asking whether the prominent users for whom there were exceptions to “cross-check” were also anti-vaccination opponents with many Facebook subscribers and whether they were on the internal Facebook list. They are particularly interested in the so-called “disinformation dozen”. These are the few people who, according to analyzes, have spread much of the misinformation about corona vaccines in the United States.
Facebook had always emphasized that the online network consistently took action against incorrect information about corona vaccines. However, the prosecutors point to cases in which contributions from anti-vaccination opponents remained on the platform – and also want to know whether financial considerations played a role.
New algorithms out of pure profitability
According to the revelations of the former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, Facebook, out of pure profitability, is increasingly relying on new algorithms that are increasingly polarizing the political camps: Users are tempted by their anger to keep scrolling, which increases the reach of advertisers. Facebook has set up a system for this that exempts high-profile users from the rules against targeted false claims about Covid-19 and vaccines.
Misinformation about the virus, treatment methods and vaccines quickly spread on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube during the corona pandemic. Researchers and legislators have long accused Facebook of failing to control harmful content on its platforms.