The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Facebook and YouTube’s vaccine misinformation problem is simpler than it seems

As the Biden administration struggles to find the words to confront social platforms, a better understanding of their algorithms could help

Analysis by
Staff writer|
July 21, 2021 at 2:50 p.m. EDT
Joe Biden tried to moderate his criticism of Facebook in comments at the White House on July 19. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
5 min

On Friday, President Biden said Facebook is “killing people” by spreading misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines. On Monday, he changed his tune. “Facebook isn’t killing people,” he amended, instead blaming a handful of disinformation merchants who use the platform.

Whether Facebook is or isn’t killing people depends on your definitions. What’s clear, regardless, is that Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms have played a major role in the anti-vaccine movement. And they continue to do so, despite some sincere efforts by the companies to combat the trend.