Social media platforms have exploited the health of their users by profiting from insidious COVID-19 misinformation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday.
Pelosi said there was strong bipartisan support to “get tough on platforms” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She called on advertisers to “know your power” and actively discourage platforms from allowing life-threatening misinformation about novel coronavirus.
“We need to send a message to social media executives that you will be held accountable,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi cited bogus COVID-19 cures and other health-related scams as examples of life-threatening misinformation on social media. The California lawmaker was speaking as part of a forum on the consequences of digital platforms’ “misinformation negligence” hosted by George Washington University’s Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics (IDDP). She joins a growing number of Democrats who have spoken critically of social media companies in recent weeks.