Facebook, Google, CDC under pressure to stop anti-vax garbage from spreading

Facebook, Google, CDC under pressure to stop anti-vax garbage from spreading – Does Freedom of Speech protect Naive or Intentional Fake news?

With five measles outbreaks ongoing in the US, lawmakers are questioning both health officials and tech giants on their efforts to combat the noxious anti-vaccine misinformation fueling the spread of disease.

To me, it is not about the measles issue itself or whether the posts are right or wrong, it's about the intention of "Freedom of Speech". Is freedom of speech protected where it is intended to cause harm, promote terrorism, panic people, etc? Do we allow people to speak about bombs at an airport? Even "terrorism/war" is often a political concept of each side believing they are in the right – so who gets to decide? The issue is way bigger than just about vaccinations.

In an ideal and educated world maybe we could have total freedom of speech as we would each make a rational argument motivated by the facts we have. And we'd debate that rationally with others. Have you ever seen that type of discussion happening on social media?

So "With Great Freedom Comes Great Responsibility". We allow the freedom but we prosecute mercilessly where that freedom was intended to cause harm or panic (read "trolls" here) or where negligence is involved (resharing or promoting ideas without checking facts properly).

We can't have our cake and eat it too. We already have quite a bit of chaos and fake news on social media, some of which has even caused rots and loss of life. I'm not promoting censorship (especially where that is to further political causes) but rather for greater responsibility by social media users.

As far as vaccinations go we as parents get to decide for our children who have no clue as to how to decide for themselves. But our choice not only affects our own children but also that of the rest of the community, and community resources (or taxes). So do research and make an informed decision.

See https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/facebook-working-on-additional-changes-to-beat-down-anti-vaxxers/ and let's see the rational discussion unfold below!

#freedomofspeech #rights #censorship