Congressman Adam Schiff (Adam Schiff) criticized the two companies’ efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and related vaccination information in a separate letter to the bosses of tech giants Amazon and Facebook.
The two letters were dated a day after Senator Elizabeth Warren’s letter also severely reprimanded Amazon’s vaccine misinformation, accusing the two companies of “direct profit” by spreading false vaccine and virus information on their respective websites.
Schiff wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: “As long as these materials stay on your website, Facebook will profit directly from the sensational anti-vaccine misinformation, and these conspiracy theories continue to directly lead to COVID-19. die.”
For Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Schiff pointed out that Amazon’s own algorithms can be used to push people into false information. “In addition, Amazon’s algorithms and listings can be easily manipulated by bad actors through false reviews, targeted purchases, misclassification, and even deliberate spelling errors,” he wrote.
“As long as these materials remain on the site, Amazon directly benefits from the sensational anti-vaccine misinformation.”
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the company will respond to Warren’s letter. It was initially unclear whether there would be a response to Schiff’s letter.
The sharp criticism from two powerful Democrats comes at a time when the four major tech giants — Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple — are at a worrying moment as Congress is investigating the Power and influence.
Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapar’s Amazon undermines legislation,”Termination of Platform Monopoly Law“May force the company to dissolve, get the support of the two parties and the Biden administration, the Democratic Party of the Seventh District In a recent interview with GeekWire,.
Her legislation is part of five bills that seek to Create a frame Split large technology companies into smaller companies (such as Amazon and Amazon Web Services); make mergers more expensive and difficult; split companies that use their dominance in one area to gain a foothold in another; and block those Creating a company that is said to be an open market, but just playing with it to support their own products.
Schiff and Warren’s comments did not seem to indicate a easing of attitudes towards at least two companies.Schiffzen Contacted two companies about similar issues in 2019, At the beginning of the pandemic.
Although he admitted that the couple tried to contain the misinformation about COVID-19, they did not do enough.
Schiff wrote in a letter to Zuckerberg: “Of course, it is inevitable for malicious users to try to spread harmful content. I thank Facebook for its efforts to provide accurate information about COVID-19 when possible.”
“However, research shows that anti-vaccine conspiracies can be combated by using factual and counterfactual information as opposites, but an equal view is ineffective in combating misinformation and false information.
Schiff said in a statement after sending these letters that social media companies are helping to keep the epidemic going.
“Vaccine hesitation fueled by misinformation hinders our relationship with truly ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowhere is misinformation more obvious, effective, and easier to spread than misinformation on social media and e-commerce sites,” Xi Said the husband. “As vaccine management work continues across the country, misinformation on major online platforms is increasing.”
Schiff asked these companies to answer a series of questions, including:
- What is the scale of your content review operation, including the number of personnel and resources invested, and what are your goals for the depth and breadth of the review? How is progress in achieving these goals?
- What steps are you currently taking to ensure that algorithms are not used to promote misleading or false health information?
Spokespersons for Amazon and Facebook could not be immediately reached for comment.
Read the two letters below.