A Facebook spokesperson said the president is overlooking the number of people who use the site’s vaccine finder tool and is looking for an excuse as to why he missed his July 4 target.
Biden slammed Facebook for spreading misinformation that made fewer people get the vaccineCredit: Reuters
Another spokesperson said Biden’s comments had reached the top of Facebook’s leadershipCredit: AFP
“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” wrote the Facebook spokesperson.
“The fact is that more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet.
“More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives. Period,” it added.
Another Facebook official wrote an even more direct response to the president, according to NBC.
“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, it said.
“The White House is looking for scapegoats for missing their vaccine goals,” added the official.
‘THEY’RE KILLING PEOPLE’
Earlier Friday morning, Biden blamed social media companies like Facebook for spreading misinformation that he claimed they were among the reasons why fewer people got the vaccine.
“They’re killing people,” Biden explained when asked to reiterate his comments.
“I mean they really, look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and that’s — they’re killing people,” he said while departing the White House.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said similar comments before he was asked about them.
“We’re dealing with a life or death issue here and so everybody has a role to play in making sure there’s accurate information,” Psaki said. “They’re a private sector company. They’re going to make decisions about additional steps they can take. It’s clear there are more that can be taken.”
Her comments come a day after the White House was flagging inappropriate posts on Facebook that spread misinformation.
“We are regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans are seeing across all of social and traditional media,” she said.
Source:thesun.co.uk/news