The Biden administration is taking its fight against Facebook to the next level. It’s looking into how to hold social media platforms liable for publishing misinformation. As of now, the companies are protected under Section 230—a law that provides legal immunity to websites that moderate user-generated content. The White House is calling on social media companies to take a more aggressive stance on combating misinformation. Former Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker says that the federal government is coordinating with social media platforms to silence Americans’ voices, and that it’s clearly a violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights.
This comes as President Joe Biden clarified the statement he made last week when he said Facebook’s misinformation was “killing people.” He’s since backtracked and said Facebook isn’t killing people. Biden said, “My hope is that Facebook, instead of taking it personally, that somehow I’m saying Facebook is killing people, that they would do something about the misinformation, the outrageous misinformation about the vaccine. That’s what I meant.”
On July 20, 52 years ago, the first man landed on the moon. Now, Jeff Bezos blasts off into a new frontier, paving the way for space tourism. The quick but historic 11 minute flight launched the group more than 65 miles above earth, experiencing four minutes of weightlessness and a thrill of a lifetime. The historic crew also included the youngest and oldest people ever to go to space—18-year-old Oliver Daemen and 82-year-old aviation pioneer Wally Funk.
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