Surgeon general calls out platforms over COVID-19 misinformation

On Thursday, the surgeon general published a new report calling on social media platforms to make new investments in combating online coronavirus misinformation.

The report calls for an all of society push to address vaccine and coronavirus misinformation, including sweeping policy recommendations for companies like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy specifically calls on companies to redesign their algorithms to “avoid amplifying misinformation.” He also suggests that they build more “friction” into sharing functions that urge users to rethink whether to share a post containing false information.

Murthy also recommends that platforms put out “clear consequences for accounts that repeatedly violate platform...

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