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We're returning to our roots of free expression on Facebook and Instagram. While we've implemented complex content moderation systems, they've led to too many mistakes and censorship. To address this, we will phase out fact checkers in favor of a community notes system, simplify content policies, and focus enforcement on serious violations. We're also reintroducing civic content based on user feedback and relocating our content moderation teams to Texas to reduce perceived bias. Additionally, we will collaborate with the U.S. government to combat global censorship trends. Our goal is to prioritize reducing mistakes and restoring free expression while still addressing illegal content. This is a complex process, but we're committed to giving people a voice once again. More updates will follow.

The White House Press Secretary was asked about Jim Baker's firing from Twitter and whether the Biden administration was in contact with him regarding moderation decisions or transparency efforts. The response was that these decisions are up to private companies and the administration was not involved. Another question concerned requests for tech companies to be more aggressive in releasing misinformation and whether the administration has been in touch with any of these companies. The response was that the administration is in regular touch with social media platforms through senior staff and the COVID-19 team. Actions the federal government has taken include increased disinformation research and tracking within the surgeon general's office and flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.

We are partnering with Twitter to provide accurate vaccine information when users search hashtags like vaccination or anti-vaccine. Public health agencies' websites will appear in the search results. Similar collaborations have been done with other organizations. We have also discussed with Facebook about removing scientifically disproven or debunked information. Facebook is currently working with the US CDC and seeking input from experts to identify misinformation. If information is proven to be false, they have the opportunity to remove it. Additionally, we are collaborating with Google and other platforms.

Twitter firings have left us without a way to flag abusive or violent content. Disinformation can now be promoted by anyone with a blue tick. However, we are working with platforms to promote reliable information on COVID and climate change. We have a strong group of messengers who share UN content with their followers and educate users on combating disinformation. Our new slogan is "pause, take care before you share." We are establishing a central capacity at the UN to monitor and react to mis and disinformation and hate speech. We will also develop a UN code of conduct for digital platforms to set global standards for information integrity and create a more humane Internet.

Our current focus is on prebunking to prevent misinformation rather than debunking after the fact. Preemptively injecting people with weakened fake news can build cognitive antibodies against manipulation. This approach is likened to a psychological vaccine. The initiative involves partnerships with Cambridge University, the Department of Homeland Security, and Google's Jigsaw unit.

Social media companies are deleting accounts spreading disinformation about the pandemic, including state-sponsored groups. Violence against healthcare workers and minority populations is increasing. Some countries are implementing limited internet shutdowns to manage the overwhelming amount of misinformation. Experts believe that identifying every bad actor is a challenging task, as new disinformation campaigns are generated daily. Controlling and reducing access to information may be necessary to combat the problem. However, it's not just trolls spreading fake news, but also political leaders. It is crucial for news organizations, public health groups, and companies to promote accurate information to protect the public.

Facebook and other platforms should measure and share the impact of misinformation, along with the audience it reaches. They should work with the public to create strong enforcement strategies that apply across all their properties. Transparency about rules is important, so people shouldn't be banned from one platform while allowed on others for spreading misinformation.

We label posts about COVID-19 and vaccines with information from the WHO. We remove misinformation related to COVID-19 that has been debunked by public health experts and could lead to physical harm. This includes false claims about preventative measures, the existence of the virus, and vaccines. We also remove pages, groups, and Instagram accounts that repeatedly violate these policies. To address vaccine hesitancy, we reduce the distribution of certain content that doesn't violate our policies but could contribute to hesitancy. Our approach is based on guidance from health experts, who emphasize the importance of allowing people to ask legitimate questions and receive answers from trusted sources. We update our policies as new trends emerge.

We're returning to our roots of free expression on Facebook and Instagram. While we've implemented complex content moderation systems, they've led to too many mistakes and excessive censorship. To address this, we will replace fact-checkers with a community notes system, simplify content policies, and focus enforcement on serious violations. We'll also reintroduce civic content based on user feedback and relocate our trust and safety teams to Texas to reduce perceived bias. Additionally, we will collaborate with the U.S. government to combat global censorship trends. Our goal is to prioritize free expression while responsibly managing harmful content. We're committed to reducing errors and simplifying our systems to empower voices on our platforms. More updates will follow.

The speaker states that interference or federal election crimes will be aggressively investigated, and they will work with partners to quickly take appropriate action. They are also coordinating with private sector technology and social media companies. The goal is to ensure these platforms aren't used by foreign adversaries to spread disinformation and propaganda.

We flag problematic posts on Facebook in the surgeon general's office.

The administration monitors public Facebook profiles for misinformation to combat vaccine hesitancy. There is no secret list, just individuals sharing inaccurate information. The concern is people dying due to misinformation. The focus should be on public health, not privacy concerns. The administration believes in evolving science and providing accurate information. There is no evidence vaccines cause infertility.

We need to collaborate with other countries to regulate misinformation online. An international body, similar to Interpol, could ensure accurate information on the internet and social media.

The speaker discusses the request for tech companies to combat misinformation and the actions the federal government is taking. They mention being in regular contact with social media platforms, increasing disinformation research, flagging problematic posts, and working with medical professionals to share accurate information. They also mention the creation of the COVID Community Corps and investing time in meeting with influencers. Proposed changes for social media platforms include measuring and sharing the impact of misinformation, creating a robust enforcement strategy, taking faster action against harmful posts, and promoting quality information sources in feed algorithms. The speaker emphasizes the importance of accurate information and the need for cooperation from social media platforms.

We have discussed the intelligence community's efforts to share information with social media platforms to address fake content and ensure it aligns with their terms of service.

Many people overlook their options in dealing with misinformation on social media. Early detection is key to tracking and countering harmful narratives. Legal action can be taken against profit-driven disinformation networks. Fact-checking alone may not change beliefs, so building counter narratives is crucial. Our organization helps detect, assess, and mitigate the impact of misinformation to prevent future issues. The recent events at the US Capitol highlight the real-world consequences of online disinformation. Translation: It is important to detect and counter harmful narratives early to prevent misinformation from causing real-world harm. Legal action can be taken against profit-driven disinformation networks, and building counter narratives is essential. Our organization helps organizations address the impact of misinformation to prevent future issues. The recent events at the US Capitol show the consequences of online misinformation.

We collaborate with over 80 fact-checking organizations worldwide in more than 60 languages to address content that doesn't violate our policies. When these partners identify false posts, especially about COVID or vaccines, we limit their distribution. Additionally, we use warning labels and reduce the visibility of such posts in people's feeds. This comprehensive approach involves providing authoritative information, removing harmful misinformation, and dealing with borderline content. Our goal is to continually improve our strategy.

We actively addressed disinformation and misinformation during the pandemic and the US election by collaborating with the editing community. This model will be used in future elections globally. We aim to identify threats early by working with governments and other platforms to understand the landscape.

We are partnering with Twitter to provide accurate vaccine information when users search certain hashtags like vaccination or anti-vaccine. Public health agency websites will appear in the search results. Similar collaborations have been done with other organizations. We have also discussed with Facebook how to remove scientifically disproven or debunked information. Facebook is currently working with the WHO and the US CDC to identify misinformation. If experts confirm it as misinformation, Facebook can remove it. Additionally, we are collaborating with Google and other platforms.

We cannot completely eliminate interference in elections, but we can make it significantly harder. Our focus is on protecting election integrity and ensuring Facebook supports democracy. Although the problematic content we've identified is minimal, any interference is serious. We are collaborating with the US government on investigations into Russian interference, having recently uncovered some activity and shared our findings with Congress. While we can't disclose everything publicly due to ongoing investigations, we support Congress in informing the public and expect the government to release its findings once complete. Additionally, we will continue our investigation into Facebook's role in the election, looking into foreign actors and campaigns to better understand their use of our platform.

The transcript discusses a 2010 Rockefeller Foundation document titled Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development, focusing on a scenario called Lockstep. In this scenario, a pandemic strikes in 2012, overwhelming even the best-prepared nations. Approximately 20% of the global population becomes infected and about 8 million people die within seven months. The pandemic devastates economies as international travel and global supply chains collapse, and even developed countries struggle with containment. China is highlighted as having greater success due to rapid, mandatory quarantines and near-closed borders, which saves millions of lives and enables a faster post-pandemic recovery. The account notes that highly intrusive real-time tracking of a largely compliant population was key to lifting lockdowns in Wuhan. The document also asserts that during the pandemic, leaders worldwide imposed airtight rules and restrictions, from mandatory mask-wearing to temperature checks at entry points to communal spaces. Even after the pandemic fades, there is a lasting shift toward more authoritarian control and oversight, with citizens accepting reduced sovereignty and privacy in exchange for safety and stability. In developed countries, biometric IDs and a suite of new regulations are introduced to restore order and economic growth, with the overall message that increased oversight helps achieve stability. The transcript then shifts to Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise held on October 18, 2019, organized by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The exercise simulated the consequences of a pandemic and the societal and economic challenges it would pose, using a coronavirus-like pathogen codenamed Caps. Participants describe how a significant portion of identified cases require hospitalization, causing strain on health systems. They note that some individuals with mild symptoms can still spread the virus unknowingly, and emphasize that disinformation and misinformation undermine the response. There is discussion about how governments, international organizations, and businesses should counter misinformation and ensure reliable information reaches the public. It’s noted that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have identified and removed a large number of accounts spreading disinformation about the outbreak. Some participants argue that strong measures to manage information are necessary, even if it means restricting access to information, to prevent misinformation from jeopardizing the pandemic response or causing political instability. The video then intersperses commentary questioning the coincidence that the 2019 exercise apparently anticipated the 2020 outbreak, with a skeptical tone about whether the scenario was preplanned or predictive. Additional voices from public health organizations warn that an epidemic—whether naturally caused or intentionally—could cause massive harm, with the possibility of ten million excess deaths. A final note reflects on the sense that the world was already prepared in many ways before 2020, suggesting that the pandemic response was part of a long-standing preparation.

Twitter firings have left us without a way to flag abusive or violent content. Disinformation can now be promoted by anyone with a blue tick. However, we are working with platforms to promote reliable information on COVID and climate change. We have a strong group of messengers who share UN content with their followers and educate users on combating disinformation. Our new slogan is "pause, take care before you share." We are establishing a central capacity at the UN to monitor and react to mis and disinformation and hate speech. We will also develop a UN code of conduct for digital platforms to set global standards for information integrity and create a more humane Internet.

Twitter firings have left us without a way to flag abusive or violent content. Disinformation can now be promoted by anyone with a blue tick. However, we are working with platforms to promote reliable information on COVID and climate change. We have a strong group of messengers who share UN content. We are also educating users on how to combat disinformation. Our new slogan is "pause, take care before you share." We are creating a central capacity at the UN to monitor and react to mis and disinformation. We will also develop a UN code of conduct for digital platforms to set global standards for information integrity. Our goal is a more humane Internet.

It's easy to blame those who believe or spread mis/disinformation. Governments, internet, and social media companies have a responsibility to prevent the spread of harmful lies and promote access to accurate health information. The WHO is working with partners, companies, and researchers to understand how misinformation and disinformation spreads, who is targeted, how they are influenced, and what can be done to counter this problem.

The administration is urging companies to be more aggressive in policing misinformation. They are in regular contact with social media platforms through senior staff and the COVID-19 team. The Surgeon General's office has increased disinformation research and tracking. The federal government is taking actions to address this issue.