Democrats have come up with a fresh avenue to put pressure on social platforms in the name of combating “misinformation” – in this instance related to hurricanes Helene and Milton that recently hit North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.
Seven Congress members have written to several House committees – Judiciary, Oversight, and Energy and Commerce – asking that they investigate and organize hearings into the matter.
We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.
According to the signatories, what needs to be investigated at this level is the role of social sites “in the dissemination of misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories, and scams in the wake of natural disasters.”
The platforms where this was allegedly happening to the extent of hindering rescue and recovery efforts named in the letter include X, Meta (Instagram and Facebook), TikTok, and Discord.
“The severity of this issue is difficult to overstate,” write the Democrat lawmakers – and yet, the very dramatic tone of the letter suggests that it may indeed not be “difficult to overstate.”
Either way, the missive goes into a number of examples of problems that are known to affect disaster area relief efforts, but this time, the members of the Senate choose to tie them tightly to the “role” of social media.
Clearly, the intent here is to push for “adequate solutions.”
These just happen to parrot the many times repeated criticism and demands coming from the same political corner, that seem to have become a “one-size-fits-all” tool to pressure for more censorship.
The investigation demand includes looking into the alleged failure of social media to adequately address misinformation, the role of algorithms, specifically when “amplifying” what it designated as misinformation and scams, as well as the impact on public trust and disaster recovery of “misinformation.”
Another point these lawmakers want investigated is what they see as failures to protect against scams and fraud – which they claim have not only proliferated on the named platforms but have also “targeted individuals at their most vulnerable, exacerbating the financial and emotional toll of the hurricanes.”
Just as one might be tempted to observe that this level of interest has never been afforded to the way censorship worked during the pandemic, election controversies, etc, these last years, by representatives of this political option – the letter goes into that, but not to, like, say, Mark Zuckerberg, repent and apologize.
Quite the opposite. Write the lawmakers and dig in their heels: “The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s bipartisan investigation into misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic raised critical questions about the role of algorithms and ineffective content moderation on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.”
