Could someone direct Karl Racine to the First Amendment part about Free Speech? If Facebook, as a private entity, wants to crack down on people giving out what they consider misinformation, they can do that. That the AG of D.C. should want all this information for some reason is a good reason to do away with the position, which did not exist prior to 2014, with Racine being the first one voted into the office
D.C. AG subpoenas Facebook in escalating probe of Covid-19 misinformation
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has subpoenaed Facebook for records related to the platform’s handling of coronavirus misinformation as part of a previously undisclosed investigation into whether the tech giant is violating consumer protection laws.
What he is demanding: Racine, a Democrat, is calling on Facebook to release by the end of next week an internal study it conducted looking into vaccine hesitancy among its users, as first revealed by news reports in March.
The subpoena, filed June 21, also calls on Facebook to provide records identifying all groups, pages and accounts that have violated its policies against Covid-19 misinformation and documents detailing how many resources the tech giant has devoted to the cause.
“Facebook has said it’s taking action to address the proliferation of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on its site,†Abbie McDonough, director of communications for Racine, told POLITICO. “But then when pressed to show its work, Facebook refused. AG Racine’s investigation aims to make sure Facebook is truly taking all steps possible to minimize vaccine misinformation on its site and support public health.â€
What is Racine investigating? That people had their own opinions, some of which were very wrong and some which were deep into conspiracy theory land? What will he do with this study? Especially when you can expect that the vast amount of data came from people who do not live in the District of Columbia, especially considering that D.C. operates 100% under the federal Constitution and the attacked Bill Of Rights.
In response to the subpoena, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement that the company has “removed more than 18 million pieces of content on Facebook and Instagram that violate our COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation policies, and labeled more than 167 million pieces of COVID-19 content rated false by our network of fact checking partners.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have skewered Facebook for over-policing claims about the origin of the virus. The company recently announced it would no longer take down posts claiming Covid-19 was man-made, as first reported by POLITICO, a move that came amid surging speculation that the virus may have accidentally leaked from a lab in China.
How much of the posts have been taken down that were correct, especially in terms of saying that Bat Soup Virus was manmade? And why does Racine need this? If he finds D.C. residents had their posts removed, what does Racine plan to do with it? Perhaps Racine should focus more on the rising crime rate, the rising murders rather than worry about people engaged in Freedom Of Speech, protesting peaceably, Freedom of Religion, and petitioning for redress of grievance.
