Facebook's internal documents show a stark contrast between the platform's handling of coronavirus misinformation and how executives publicly present their response. While employees recognized the existence of 'echo-chamber-like effects' and the overwhelming presence of anti-vaccine comments overshadowing pro-vaccine messages, public statements highlighted only the platform's efforts to remove misinformation. This discrepancy is prompting lawmakers to demand more transparency and oversight to understand and address the spread of misinformation that affects public health policy.
For months, I've repeatedly requested information from Facebook about covid misinformation, including questions about which users post it, how the platform amplifies it, how Facebook decides what to remove, and much more.
The disconnect between what was known and shared bolsters demands from lawmakers, who are increasingly amenable to proposals to force greater transparency from tech giants.
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