The decision and the policies Going Forward that can affect how the platforms are held accountable and how they behave. Lets start with a short video. To illustrate the damaging impact of disinformation on Health Care Professionals, on consumers who turned to social media for information about covid19 generally and about how to protect themselves. [video clip] emotions that healthcare care workers are feeling of fear and excited. It is the first time i have ever been scared. As a nurse. We are fighting viruses. We are fighting the virus of covid19 and fighting the virus of misinformation. Im not even sure which one is harder at this point. I had colleagues that shared with me of intentional bleach in gestion aimed at preventing or curing covid19, misled by social media. That is how the bleach misinformation has spread in our communities. All the disinformation is putting patients at risk. People comment that have had symptoms. They decided the virus is not real. They were told it is just like the flu. Them came tooth of the hospital at different hours, it was too late to save them. We of all trained in medical and nursing school. Before. Never been how physicians and Health Care Providers from all over the world try to fight disinformation and save lives. Facebooks platform has enabled the spread of misinformation that has , andally killed people they have a very strong profit incentive to not take the toessary corrective steps fix the spread of misinformation on their platform. The social media platforms not only could do more, should do more and honestly the leaders of those companies, i do not know how they sleep at night. Thispoint there misinformation is affecting my life and my familys life and my patients lives and the lives of the vulnerable populations. It is causing harm. So there you got some sense as to what people on the front lines and doctors are experiencing. We will hear from some of them now. We will turn to a distinguished group of people to talk about how covid19 have led to harms and hurt patients. Disinformation. We are going to hear frontline doctors dealing with patients life and death. And lawmakers who are focused as i said earlier on science and disinformation and on the responsibility of the platforms. Governor patty murray from washington state. Lead democrat on the pensions committee. So does congressman david fellini, the chair of the House CommitteeJudiciary Committee antitrust subcommittee. Working hard at the role of the platforms in the context of antitrust. Kingdom, oneunited of the founders of the International Grand committee on disinformation which helped put this hearing together today. But we are also going to hear and start with two doctors because this is where the action is taking place and where the consequences are the greatest. Patients lives and hospitals where people are battling this pandemic. Very directly and personally. You just saw in the video. An epidemiologist and a medical doctor having received his degrees at yale medical school. Serves on the senior fallacy faculty at mt. Sinai. Dr. Jasmine weiss is a pediatrician. A fellow at the National ClinicianScholar Program at yale school of medicine. Sees she is a graduate of Duke University medical school. Where she was chief resident. Two very prominent doctors. Lets start with you. Experience and why you think this is as serious to patients lives and to your and other doctors practice as you do. And thank you to the organizers and panelists and audience. Blessings to you all and your families during these tragic times. Physiciant and patients in my neighborhood in queens new york, i have personally born witnesses to how lives lies propagated on the internet about the virus has killed people. Is, my local hospital has become for me a ofr of breathing machines, pressure ulcers and video calls and family members saying goodbye alone. Of overstretched nurses and physicians, respiratory technicians. And other clinicians and health us, through all of it all i gain strength from the patients and families who are and fearless. So much of this horror show was preventable. While there are many conservative factors, chief among them is misinformation and fake news. That covid19 was created by the government of china that social distancing measures are ineffective. That Home Remedies can prevent hospitalization. That people of african descent are immune. That people of chinese dissent are more likely to spread the disease. That closures of businesses are a political plot. That bleach cheers covid. Articulated,losi this is a true moment of national and global reckoning. The internet is essential infrastructure. Hold Companies Accountable for polluting our air and waterways and food, we must hold Companies Accountable for the deaths caused by polluting our families our kids a globalnities movement of doctors and nurses and other Health Professionals is growing to hold tech Companies Accountable for letting this infodemic get out of control. To issue an open letter to facebook, twitter, google and youtube telling them we are no longer going to be fighting to pandemics at once, covid and the info demo. They must stop giving misinformation. Taking to that it is destroy our communities. For your time in your effort and your fearlessness. In combating this. And for joining us all together in this moment of reckoning to save lives and to make our communities and families and kids healthier. To bring pressure to bear for this infodemic. To hear yourturn experience from your perspective. I would like to thank George Washington university. [in audible] dr. Wise, im having difficulty volume on this end or hearing you. I do not know if it is my yours but if you give us all the more well see if we can absolutely. Im a black woman, a pediatrician and im a servant of the community. I invite you to consider how inaccurate messaging on social media impacts black and brown communities in the context of covid19. This disinformation often compounds the mistrust the black and brown individuals feel in this country on a regular basis here the seeds of mistrust have been so at so many levels from Historical Context of the tuskegee experiment to the current Racial Injustice and Structural Racism we are witnessing through this pandemic. Sometimes individuals live in more [inaudible] sometimes black and brown individuals are often the essential we didnt increase risk when exposed to the stars. I remember in the early phase of covid19 personally reading many comments on social media and plying the black people could not get the virus. It was deemed a hoax and the message was spread that covid19 was no worse than the flu. I was disheartened and unnerved by this come often try to combat these mr. Speaker so little was so littleyths because was known. For a group of refugees, these messages really rang true. They didnt think they could get the virus because it the only individual space on social media were white or those who were world travelers. So consider how this disinformation, this imagery, directly contribute to the delight of testing for my the delay of testing for my minorities even when they were sick because they didnt fit the criteria that was perpetrated online. There were even circumstance of her patients were sick and asked for testing but they were turned away because they didnt fit the criteria. This often led to minorities being sicker and presenting later cost lives. As one colleague of mine described, he took care of one severely ill latino patient and he was very fearful of even coming to the hospital because of the Disinformation Campaign online. He was afraid he would be deported and separated from his family all for coming to get treatment. I have gotten all types of questions during this time. Ive been asked on social media if wearing mask for too long could lead to the Carbon Dioxide poisoning. Drinking bleach should be done as a precaution, and actually worry as a position because of the harmful this widely spread disinformation will have my patience. Another instance, its been widely should an Digital Media platforms that hot climates and seasonal change will kill the virus. Before my colleagues have taken care of patients on the u. S. Southern border, this particularly led to major consequences, people being less cautious, people not social distancing, people not wanting to wear masks. My last point of concern that i grapple with currently is how all of the circulating disinformation spread across social media will impact minority groups when the vaccine is available. I hope people begin to think very critically about the messaging thats apple fight on social amplified on social media and having trusted authorities to decide that information come more clear information at the time of such great crisis. We grieve for all those who lost their lives and for the loved ones show less text thank you very much and i want to thank you for the work you are doing with your community to save lives. Before we go to the legislators let me ask one quick question. Very quickly. You have heard with your own ears from your patience the disinformation reflected from what they have picked up through social media, correct . Yes. This is that something you read about. You were hearing this in your practice with your patients. Do you ask of them where did this come from . Do you tell them, do you know if this is a fake information . What do the county about disinformation disinformation that they are getting . Oftentimes asked directly to look at a specific reference. For instance, theres this post on x platform. Can you walk me through how this mask can cause Carbon Dioxide poison . So they will show you the platform and you will see it fake information. I have been personally messaged online. Sometimes it is the form of infographics. Sometimes in the form of direct message. Is there anything there when your patient shows you that that someone can see that it has been flagged, that it is suspicious, that it is Bad Information . Or does it look to your patients completely credible . I would say it was completely credible. There is no flag on it to say this is disinformation. Had you and others wrote to the social media platforms explaining and complaining. What response did you get . We certainly have not seen much of a leadership Response Companies onom the the specific concerns that we save exactly as dr. Weis mentioned about correcting the record and about detoxifying their algorithms so they are not actively promoting and profiting from the spread of misinformation. And that is why we really collectively as a Global Community need to continue to put pressure on these companies for them to be forced to do the right thing for our families and communities. Lets turn to our legislators now. Again, three legislators from the United States and United Kingdom who are specially focused on covid19 disinformation. The responsibility of the platforms with respect to this disinformation. Senator patty mary, that start with you. Your response to what you heard from these doctors thank you for having me. It is clear to fight covid19 and keep our communities safe, we have to fight the spread of disinformation. It is challenging enough to battle when we are constantly newg nation information. It is even more challenging when answered,n is being not by experts or science, but by rumors. Some are started by people with cruel intentions. Scaredople might just and looking for answers. Seen how baddy information could put lives at risk. Stokedhas discrimination. Given a false sense of security. This pandemic has laid bare the reality that fighting disinformation is not just a question of true or false. It is a matter of life or death. More than ever, we need reliable voice is. Voices. We have seen this president and use thendermine ,latform of the presidency comparing the virus to the flu, calling testing overrated and suggesting that we look at and sunshine as treatment. Todays discussion is really important and i am glad that we are having it, an opportunity to make clear what is at state in the fight against disinformation. Us. Wing science to guide doctor,like to ask the how important is it that disinformation is flagged on these platforms when some of that information is coming from the president himself . Absolutely. The president should be ofountable for the spread misinformation, just like all of us. It is particularly dangerous when individuals in positions of power are spreading misinformation. Community tos a hold the platforms accountable to not allow such dangerous misinformation to be spread. It is literally killing people and we cannot emphasize that enough. Nobody should be immune to any corrective actions that these platforms take. At anincredible statement incredibly important time about Racial Disparity and health disparities. You have dedicated your career to this. How does misinformation affect our ability to address disparities . The impact is critical. Look to social media for their information at this time. Some of the youth look to social media. Even in the context of some of our Health Care Professionals and individuals that we care for. Their information in a variety of ways, so we are trying to combat misinformation oneonone but also what people are hearing. Disinformation has the potential to harm every aspect of our response, including the care that patients get. Hat is especially true doctors face a challenging task of addressing a disease of which we know very little. Aw does disinformation affect Health Care Providers ability to understand the disease and advise their patient . We seek out trusted sources through articles, scientific community, in hopes of eating the most accurate and uptodate information. That is clouded by the misinformation that we see distributed on different plant arms. Reading, being open to listening to your colleagues and looking at different sources , so that we can share the information with our patients. Thank you. I really appreciate it. Journalistso the who are part of the conversation and are watching the conversation. Please feel free to put your questions in and i will turn to some of those from others and turn it over to the legislators. To congressman david cellini. You are healthy and everyone in your state is finding some relief from this. The numbers are coming down. You have concentrated on disinformation for some time now. Crisisly, the covid19 makes it even more critical because lives are literally in the balance. Take a few minutes to give us your perspective and what you make of the conversation that you have heard today, but in particular, what can be done . What must be done by the platform to address this problem . It is great to be with you. Thank you for including me in this important conversation on the real world effect on social media disinformation on Peoples Health and safety. You. Honored to be with this important discussion touches on several topics in discussed. I am happy to join you and other members in the conversation as well. Facebook, google and other social cap arms are designed to keep users on their platform, no matter the cost. Speech. Da and hate these companies will not change unless their Business Model changes as well. We knew theutbreak, Business Model magnified extremist content online. Worldwide hate crimes and mass conspiracy theories on social media. Postook and google countless pages, targeting advertisement and content dedicated chickens. See theories and calls to violence. They are often too lax. Google and this should not have in a close called that require National Attention to get right. Content toharmful proliferate, all while they continue to profit on it. Lives every single day. False claims about the coronavirus have read faster than the virus itself, online. Doctors, nurses and other professionals are fighting the pandemic. Companies that facilitate have not done newly enough to save lives by countering it. When companies do attend to movinginformation, information about false tears, still incidents. It is too profitable to illuminate completely. End. Practice must they must be held accountable for amplifying harmful content online. They should have restricting the ability of or removing liability andection that shield them confront this in a meaningful way. They are not confined. I want to take a moment to talk about the role of the International Grand committee. Join. Ear i was proud to we plan to hold the next eating in washington dc this summer, but this is not possible due to the pandemic. Hearingmed in a prior that we agree that it is essential to build International Consensus on these issues. We plan to hold a meeting in the fall. Thank you for including me in this important decision. This is good. You get to talk. This before weou up ton and then open it questions around the panel. Aboutis a lot of talk holding the platforms accountable. At risk of losing immunity or a variety of things, there are a lot of sticks here. I want to ask you about a caret. What are the incentives that could be provided to the encourage andth manage speech and make sure that the disinformation that has so polluted our culture is dealt with . Are in the latter part of a major antitrust investigation. It has been very bipartisan. How theseing at platforms they are almost like monopoly. Actinge basically without any regulation. Legislationduced that prohibits microtargeting. Your opponent can do a contrary add to counter. They can send that add to individuals with without the other candidate knowing about it. That is what is so pernicious. There are a number of ways that we can look at protect First Amendment right and not allowing the platform to be used for widespread false information. Butill have a whole series, they do not need any caret. They are making enormous amount of money. They are collecting all of this data and engaging advertising to predict the behavior of individuals to microtarget them. They are making an enormous fortune. I do not think that we need a lot of care. There needs to be real competition. What would be the single biggest relation to make the single biggest change . Requiring them to have the can of the user before they collect or share their data, prohibiting them from engaging in anticompetitive here with the a huge first step. To the u. K. Ve on and we will come back you and to the larger conversation in a few minutes. Vivian has been a fighter against disinformation for some time. Information coming across the social media platforms. He founded this committee that is helping to inform this conversation today, working with us. Togetheris committee for the express purpose of what we were talking about. Cracking down on the spread. Ou also brought hearings i was there. One of the things that i heard person, that i know that you heard and that is haunting in this conversation is a testimony to your committee, to members from twitter who were testifying. They said, we do not want to be arbiters. You heard this conversation today. The truth matters because lives can hang in the balance. Is great to be with you again. [indiscernible] there are legislators around the world. It could probably affect the world. First looking at the Major Public Health emergency. The different the disinformation spreading online can affect Peoples Health. Consequent. Al world it is essential. It is a clear example. People are maliciously spreading false information. At the heart of it they need to be held accountable. [indiscernible] wall street journal was reporting on an internal report. A further report two years later about Committee Hearings and washington. [indiscernible] we needto make sure to take action. [indiscernible] they do not rely on papers or newscasts anymore. [indiscernible] they require legislative [indiscernible] you just talked about independent oversight and how covid19 might apart. Just to share with your international audience, what is your idea and the british idea of independent oversight . What would that involve . We had independent oversight. [indiscernible] if the company refuses cooperate cooperate [indiscernible] this would be a tough one for the united date. States. Could you have independent oversight and be compatible with the First Amendment . It is important to remember one thing. The First Amendment argument that the platforms make, you have to dissect it because when that is the declarant, they send a tweet. That is a First Amendment exercise, but then the company used algorithms to decide how that would be you. Through the organization. That is not a First Amendment decision. Decisiona business they want to promote it. That is not a First Amendment. It is a model. The notion that somehow they are protect did use that post to rich themselves by promoting division and engagement is a fallacy. We need to separate those issues. Consumers and competition. Two with the behavior of the platforms has so far been unchecked. That is why we have launched investigation, really for the first time taking on this in a serious way. I want to ask this next question and then invite our doctors to join us to see if they have something from their realworld respect. As a member of parliament, i would like you to respond to this. There are pieces in place already that attempt to hold the platform somewhat accountable. Even those up your to not be working sufficiently well. There was a story that caught my eye earlier this month, june 4. Hundreds of posts spreading misinformation are being left online despite material being reported. This was in the u. K. And the story bed as follows. A group of young volunteers scoured social media for one of imus between april 20 and may 26. After reporting posts that experts believed contravened the platforms own standards, fewer than 110 were acted upon. This. You saw it was published by the center for countering digital heat. They put this action group together and found that 90. 6 of disinformation reported remain visible online afterwards without any warning attached. What is going on and what can be done . This is not in compliance. There are pieces in place that are supposed to be observed. This is such a good example. If the companies enforce their own platform policies and risk , there will be problems. Is a citizenppens will report content. Something is done. We need the companies to work more effectively. Germany, the companies are on a strict timetable to take down what has been reported to them or they become liable. We see this in other industries as well. There were certain condition. One is a response will need to identify money laundering. We are used to getting a letter from our bank when there is something wrong with our account. The banks have a response ready to monitor. Requireit will different methods around the world. Congressman, anything to add to that . We have the same problem in this country. That is exactly right. The only thing i would add is that unfortunately, some of the posts that are the most outrageous are the most theirable the plat Business Model is based on engagement, so the more outrageous, the more likely it is to get people engaged. They are driven to grow and make money regardless of the is why it is governments responsibility to respond. We will have to take a break and come back for the second panel shortly. Let me start with you. You have been very vocal about this and on the seating end of the information. Anything that you want to ask or present is influential members of congress and u. K. Parliament . Say thank you so much for your effort. From my viewpoint as a physician , what you are trying to achieve is absolutely essential. Model with the spread of disinformation, as such, we need to establish the right regulatory approaches to hold them accountable. It just will not be done otherwise. Even a small study looking at 100 misinformation. Labeled by independent checkers to cause potential public harm. Showed that they had been shared over 1. 7 million times. Just the tip of the iceberg. 40 of that misinformation remained online, despite the efforts of facebooks Fact Checking program, in response to public pressure. There is a systemic underlying issue with the platform, that they are not able to directly truly deadly spread of misinformation. This systemic underlying ability to address. [indiscernible] content is being pushed all the time. That is why we wired the company to intervene. They exploit the system to target people with misinformation. That is why it spread so fast. Here is your opportunity to influence the u. S. Congress. That theis one thing member of congress could take back and push through that would make your job easier and your patience safer, what would you do . Bux i would ask that the Fact Checkers in place be emphasized more. I think individuals right now having more justaround warning those mornings will allow individuals to think about, is this information i am looking at is this something that i should take at face value . All would say that first of , it is not an inability. It is an unwillingness. They have the ability. They choose not to do it because they are making too much money. We are going to release a final report and of recommendation. One thing that everybody should understand is that tremendous power these Technology Platforms will invest and are already investing tens of dollars to impede progress in congress and around the world to really manage the problem. The economic power gives enormous political power. We will be in the fight of our lives to get it right. Action tomand actually solve this problem. A last question for you. Say to the extent possible, we have tried to keep this conversation about covid19 while addressing public health. A lot of politics are wrapped up in this. Monthsre less than five before the election. I am not satisfied at all. Ofhink we will see a repeat disinformation to undermine the democracy. What can be done about that . There are a number of things that we are working on in my subcommittee. Frankly, when the president of the u. S. Respond by dismissing foreign interference in the election, saying it is a hope and no big deal has not led a effort to say that never allow a Foreign Government to interfere with an election again and social media platforms to for luta that, we are left with law and we have tont hope that they are doing their best. I certainly will not ask to comment on american election. Would give you the opportunity to have a closing word. You have been working on this program problem for so long. The responsibility of social media platforms, we have heard compelling stories and examples from our wonderful doctors here today. I was interested to see them addressing this issue, the need to change the spread of disinformation in campaigns. [indiscernible] we need to be acting in our own make sure that there is responsibility online. I think the Global Pandemic [indiscernible] want to thank you so much for joining us from the u. K. And bringing your point of view. Thank you to our astonishing doctors for all that you do. Thank you so much for the lives that you are saving and the work you are doing to keep us healthy especially against this misinformation. Tuesday, director anthony fauci, cdc direct robert redfield, fda commissioner dr. Stephen hahn and assistant secretary of health testified before the committee on the trump administrations sponsor to the coronavirus pandemic. Atch on cspan, on demand the spent. Org or listen live wherever you are on the free cspan. Orgo app or listen live wherever you are on the we cspan radio app. App. Ee cspan radio the George Floyd Justice and leasing act and on friday, live on sees, the house of the on legislation to designate district of columbia as a state. Friday,ve thursday and online at cspan. Org or listen on the free cspan radio at. App. What do you think we can do about that . With reform and the coronavirus continuing to affect the country, watch our live, unfiltered coverage with three things from the white house, governors and mayors cost the country, updating on the situation. From the 2020 trail. If you missed any of our live coverage, watch anytime or listen on the go with the free cspan radio app. House press secretary took questions earlier about the coronavirus pandemic. Protests over statues and president Trumps Campaign rally in tulsa, oklahoma. The briefing is about 20 minute. Hello, everyone. 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