Major Reddit Communities Are Protesting Against COVID-19 Misinformation On The Site
Over 240 subreddits have signed an open letter to Reddit admin team to voice their protest against coronavirus misinformation on the site, with some communities also going into lockdown.
The subreddits, including heavyweights such as /r/aww, /r/pics, /r/showerthoughts and /r/tifu, have signed an open letter to Reddit administration demanding to curb the spread of COVID-19 misinformation on the platform and asking to ban communities that exist solely to spread medical disinformation and undermine efforts to combat the global pandemic.
Lies are repeated so frequently that misinformed people begin to believe them wholeheartedly, trusting that they can't be incorrect because they're surrounded by people who believe it also. […]
There is a good chance that the disinformation that reddit is currently inundated with will necessitate people a stay at the toxicology department in the hospital or even cost them their lives. There can be no room for leniency when people are dying as a result of misinformation on this platform. Reddit as a global platform needs to take responsibility here.
The letter, posted by moderator of /r/aww, /r/pics, /r/gifs and other major communities, was submitted to /r/vaxxhappened and currently sits at over 81,000 upvotes.
In addition to signing the letter, some subreddit, such as popular meme community /r/196, also went into lockdown to bring attention to the issue.
In April 2020, Reddit admins addressed the issue of COVID-19-related misinformation on the website, promising to investigate claims of coordinated attempts to spread misinformation and cooperate with other social media platforms to curb false information.
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lecorbak
Well, if you trust disinformation and die because of it, I'll call this Darwin.
*sigh*
The only principled stance that you can take is that social media sites should be considered platforms and not publishers, and thus not subject to removal or blocking of any material that does not violate Federal law within the country it's being broadcast to. Waffling on about how harmful "misinformation" can be conceals the fact that allowing any organization, whether it be governmental, private, or corporate, be the one in control of what is and is not factual will always be more harmful in its totalitarian use of force and dogma than any idiot who falls for something that someone tells them and they believe without verification.
Revic
Daily reminder: The oft-cited "platform versus publisher" distinction ("publishers curate content and platforms don't") does not exist in any United States law, anywhere. Perfectly fine to discuss informal denotations and hypothetical scenarios of course, but this is not legally ensconced anywhere.
Chewybunny
Considering how utterly politicized the information regarding COVID has been for the last 18 months, considering how the information and data surrounding COVID has been for the last 18 months, I do not believe any social site, such as reddit, facebook, twitter, etc, should have the ability to be gatekeepers of what is factual and what is not. Lest they themselves become the vectors of misinformation themselves.
Panuru
COVID-19 is a hoax. It's created by Jews to implant the Mark of the Beast into us so that Jesus will leave us behind during The Rapture.
You really don't believe there's a basis for determining factual information?
Chewybunny
No. I do not. There is of course a degree, absurd statements like the one you mentioned is one thing. But if I am putting a post on Facebook quoting a study, such as this study here by the NCIB about the efficacy of cloth masks, which an overwhelming majority of people are using, saying that they are practically useless, should Facebook flag and delete my post because it goes against current mask-mandates? And what basis does Facebook have to determine whether something is true? Should they use the CDC which, despite overwhelming evidence, that COVID is spread through small aerosols, will not change it's definition of exposure due to large droplets and surfaces. Whom exactly should Facebook trust then? Political expediency over scientific evidence has erroded trust in any and all of our institutions and we are expecting social media of all places to police what people can talk about and not? If 8 months ago I was talking about the Lab Leak Theory people would say that it is absolutely misinformation, even racism, and today that is a real theory that has a ton of more legs and is actively being investigated.
Panuru
How do you modify this? They should not have the ability to be gatekeepers of what is factual and what is not unless it's ridiculous? Is taking livestock medication instead of vaccine a ridiculous recommendation? Who is the arbiter if not the companies on whose platforms these are posted?
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