A group of House Democrats representing areas affected by Hurricanes Helen and Milton is calling on leaders of major technology companies to do more to combat the torrent of online misinformation about extreme weather events. are.
by letter In a letter sent Friday, Rep. Deborah Ross (North Carolina), Rep. Kathy Castor (Florida), Rep. Nikema Williams (Georgia), and Rep. Wiley Nickel (North Carolina) said, “Misinformation, falsehoods.'' They wrote that they had observed an “alarming spike in information, conspiracy theories and fraud.” After Helen and Milton.
This flow of misinformation is hindering the South's recovery process, the lawmakers wrote, echoing comments made by President Biden and numerous other federal, state and local leaders on the issue earlier this week. I was in tune.
“Disaster response agencies, climate scientists, and relief organizations are working tirelessly to provide critical information and assistance to those affected by the catastrophic event,” the lawmakers wrote. . “The lies, deception, and conspiracies widely circulated on your platforms undermine their ability to work effectively and endanger the lives and safety of Americans.”
Lawmakers pointed to a series of incidents. false claims Find out more about Helen's origins and subsequent government response and assistance online.
In North Carolina, fraud spreads It encouraged users to apply for fake Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief programs, while also circulating misleading information about shelters and resources.
The letter was sent to the heads of social media platforms X, Meta, Discord, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram. The Hill has reached out to both companies for comment.
Lawmakers have launched a series of measures they believe can prevent further spread of falsehoods. This includes increasing monitoring and removal of misinformation and disinformation, strengthening fact-checking partnerships with local agencies and disaster relief organizations, and strengthening safeguards against fraud. Algorithms should also be “strengthened” to better warn of conspiracy theories, MPs argued.
“Take a look,” a spokesperson for Company X told The Hill.[s] I look forward to replying to your letter. ” The platform, formerly known as Twitter, includes “Community Notes,” a crowdsourcing feature aimed at fact-checking false or misleading posts.
To combat misinformation on TikTok, the company said it is directing users who watch hurricane-related content to FEMA's official website to “verify natural disaster information.”
TikTok said it does not allow false information that harms individuals or society or contains violent threats.
× said All community notes for weather-related posts had been viewed more than 44 million times as of Wednesday.
The false claims began late last month, shortly after Helen struck Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, leaving widespread destruction and a massive recovery process for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Lies about the origins of the weather and government aid are among the most shared claims on social media, including by former President Trump and some politicians like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). It was one.
President Trump baselessly claimed last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is redirecting disaster relief funds to immigrants, while the government is intentionally withholding aid to Republican hurricane victims.
Both of these claims have been denied by FEMA, whichA page titled “Responding to Hurricane Rumors”Users can check rumors that are clearly false about the authorities' response.
The Biden administration issued a series of sharp statements this week against the spread of misinformation after online users, including celebrities like Trump, endorsed these theories.
