Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn wrote a letter to Biden, criticizing the collaboration between his administration and Facebook. The senator suggested that this work could infringe on Americans’ First Amendment rights and is “deeply concerning.”
Blackburn: The collaboration between FB and Biden is “deeply concerning”
Blackburn slams Biden on Facebook censorship, suggests First Amendment violationhttps://t.co/6nViCZIwvF
— Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) July 19, 2021
In the letter, Blackburn noted that the recent revelations made by the White House about its collaboration with Facebook in flagging “misinformation” is deeply concerning.
The Tennessee Republican also noted that the blatant actions by the Biden administration to work with social media companies in censoring Americans’ free speech are shocking and undoubtedly a violation of First Amendment rights.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki made a statement that sparked criticism. According to Psaki, the Biden administration is regularly in touch with social media companies, admitting that they work with Facebook in “flagging misinformation” about COVID-19.
According to the press secretary, these posts are dangerous to public health and many other Americans are seeing its effects on traditional and social media.
Blackburn also asked the Biden administration to reveal more information about the questions she has on how the White House is working with Facebook.
In the letter, Blackburn asked what criteria Biden uses to direct social media platforms to censor and remove posts. She also asked about the legal basis of the Biden administration’s decision in directing social media companies to flag and censor posts published on their sites.
Meanwhile, last Friday, a reporter asked Biden about his message on plaforms like Facebook, particularly with regard to COVID misinformation. Biden responded saying that they are “killing people.” He also claimed that the pandemic is only present among unvaccinated individuals and that the platform is killing people.
Reporter: "What's your message to platforms like Facebook?"
President Biden: "They're killing people." pic.twitter.com/jrAvQpG7i0
— The Hill (@thehill) July 16, 2021
Facebook: the Biden administration is merely out for a scapegoat
Facebook responded against these bold accusations, stating that Biden is merely finding a scapegoat for missing his 70% vaccination goal by the fourth of July.
Furthermore, Facebook also claimed that the platform saved lives by giving directions to millions of Americans, particularly on how to get vaccinated.
The Facebook spokesperson claimed they will not be distracted by accusations that are not backed by facts. The spokesperson also added that there are over two billion people who looked at the authoritative information about coronavirus and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet.
Facebook also added that there are over 3.3 million Americans who used their vaccine finder tool to figure out where and how to get the COVID vaccine. The company then claimed that Facebook is saving lives.
The comments made by Psaki and Biden sparked a series of criticism on social media. People expressed concerns over the relationship between the social media giant and the White House to flag information they deem as “misinformation.
In a tweet by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, he stated that the Biden administration announced that they are working with Facebook in censoring more Americans.
McCarthy then alleged that big tech and the government have the same goal: to control Americans. McCarthy then added a reminder, stating that America is a land of freedom.
