Social Media CEOs on Anti-Vax Accounts

State Attorneys General Urge Social Media Platforms to Combat Vaccine Misinformation

A group of twelve state attorneys general issued a call to action on Wednesday, requesting that Facebook and Twitter enhance their enforcement of community standards. The aim is to limit the dissemination of inaccurate information regarding COVID-19 vaccines across their respective platforms.

The attorneys general’s letter specifically highlighted 12 accounts identified as major sources of “anti-vaxxer” content. These accounts were found to be responsible for approximately 65% of publicly available anti-vaccine material on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

CEOs Questioned on Account Removal During House Hearing

During a House hearing focused on disinformation and extremism, the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google were directly questioned about their willingness to remove these 12 identified accounts.

The responses provided were varied, revealing a reluctance among social media executives to implement a straightforward solution – the removal of a small number of disinformation sources – that could potentially improve vaccine acceptance rates and help bring an end to the pandemic.

Extent of COVID-19 Misinformation Exposure

Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA) emphasized the significant toll of the pandemic, noting that nearly 550,000 Americans have succumbed to COVID-19.

Furthermore, an independent study revealed that Facebook users across five nations, including the United States, were exposed to COVID-19 disinformation a staggering 3.8 billion times.

Despite the urgent need to accelerate vaccinations, social media platforms continue to promote content that fosters vaccine hesitancy.

Platforms’ Role in Amplifying Misinformation

“My staff discovered content on YouTube discouraging vaccination, and the platform actively recommended similar videos,” Doyle stated. “Instagram exhibited a similar pattern, readily displaying vaccine disinformation and suggesting related posts.”

“Facebook not only hosted anti-vaccine content but also recommended anti-vax groups to users. Twitter presented no different scenario.”

Doyle directly confronted the CEOs, asserting, “You possess the ability to remove this content, to lessen its reach, and to rectify this situation, yet you choose not to.”

The “Super-Spreader” Accounts

The coalition of attorneys general had previously informed Facebook and Twitter that the accounts of 12 prominent anti-vaccine advocates remained active despite repeated violations of the companies’ terms of service.

As of March 10th, these accounts, along with their associated organizations, groups, and websites, accounted for 65% of all public anti-vaccine content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Hesitant Responses from Tech Executives

When asked directly about removing the 12 identified accounts, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook responded cautiously, stating that his team would need to review specific examples. Congressman Doyle interrupted this response.

Sundar Pichai of Google began to cite the removal of over 850,000 videos containing misleading coronavirus information, but was similarly interrupted and re-asked about the 12 “super-spreader” accounts.

Pichai acknowledged the existence of policies for content removal, but added that “some content is allowed, if it’s people’s personal experiences.”

Twitter’s Position and Future Plans

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, stated, “yes, we remove everything against our policy” – a more definitive response, though not a guaranteed commitment to remove the specific 12 accounts.

Dorsey also discussed Twitter’s long-term vision, “Bluesky,” a decentralized platform built on an open-source protocol. This aims to foster innovation in business models, recommendation algorithms, and moderation controls, shifting responsibility to individual users.

This approach mirrors Facebook’s recent establishment of an Oversight Committee, an external body tasked with making difficult moderation decisions.