Rep. Adam Schiff of California sent a letter to several CEOs of major tech companies, urging them to halt the spread of misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Misinformation is dangerous,” Schiff tweeted on Thursday. “Misinformation about public health is deadly.”
The letters, sent to the CEOs of YouTube, Google, and Twitter, requested that they follow the lead of Facebook in displaying messages from the World Health Organization when users come across content that may be inaccurate or deceptive about the threat of COVID-19.
Schiff sent a joint letter to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., and Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, and a separate letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Misinformation, including potentially dangerous advice to users directing them to drink cleaning products or take certain medications to prevent the virus, have rifled social media platforms during the pandemic, prompting tech companies to respond quickly to the spread.
Facebook recently announced it would start showing fact-checked messages to users who’ve interacted with false information, conspiracy theories, or harmful messages related to the coronavirus. Twitter and Google have taken steps to enhance algorithms that promote credible information from the WHO about the virus.
While Schiff credited the tech companies for taking steps to limit the content, he encouraged them to go even further in his letters, requesting guidance for consumers to visit medically accurate resources when coming across videos with inaccurate information.
“Despite your best efforts, however, users will continue to see and engage with harmful medical content on your platforms, whether by intentionally seeking it out or otherwise,” Schiff wrote.
Schiff said the debunked theories linking the virus to 5G cell towers, conspiracies that the virus was engineered, and rhetoric encouraging unsafe methods to combat the virus were among the most harmful to the public.
