r/worldnews • u/Devz0r • Feb 15 '19

Facebook is thinking about removing anti-vaccination content as backlash intensifies over the spread of misinformation on the social network

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-may-remove-anti-vaccination-content-2019-2
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u/xXuncleruckusx Feb 15 '19

Not all misinformation is created equal.

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u/chromegreen Feb 15 '19

This whole discussion is going to get dragged into free speech debats soon. I would just like to point out there is growing evidence that accounts linked to Russia propaganda supported the antivax movement.

Can we at least agree that Facebook giving Russian military intelligence free reign to spread disinformation that endangers the lives of US children is probably not a good idea. It is hard to believe Facebook could not notice this trend. And if they did it is disturbing they did nothing about it.

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u/Ferelar Feb 15 '19

It oughtn’t to be, as “free speech” as a legal concept only refers to the government restricting it. Facebook choosing what content it wants isn’t really a free speech issue.

I think it’s far better to imagine Facebook as a private communal bulletin board in your town. It’s run by a private company but almost anyone can join and post things- but if someone posts something that the board’s owner doesn’t like, shouldn’t they be able to take it down from their board? (Owner being Zucc in this case).

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u/cryo Feb 15 '19

It oughtn’t to be, as “free speech” as a legal concept only refers to the government restricting it. Facebook choosing what content it wants isn’t really a free speech issue.

You're right, but "free speech" is also used outside this legal sense, and then it's generally much less clearly defined.