CfA's July 16, 2021 Newsletter

This Week:

• "Under pressure after the Capitol riot, self-styled militias are regrouping around anti-vaxx conspiracy theories:" CfA's Tech Transparency Project shared screenshots exclusively with Insider from inside Facebook groups spreading disinformation that show the connection between militia recruitment and anti-vaccine disinformation online. (Article)
  • From Insider: "'In the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot, so-called militia groups such as the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers were in disarray... But they are far from defeated, instead regrouping and rallying round a new cause: anti-vaccine conspiracy theories."
  • From TTP: "FB's actions are completely consistent with those of a company primarily concerned with maximizing profits -- it does not act as these dangerous pages drive hundreds of thousands of ad views, but then removes the pages when they catch wind of an upcoming story that will hurt its PR."
  • TTP's tweet thread with additional screenshots not contained within the article.
        

What We're Reading:

• ‘Normal is not good enough’: After Trump, pressure’s on Biden to create new ethics rules: "When it comes to ethics in the White House, President Joe Biden is no Donald Trump. But for a growing number of Democratic lawmakers and government watchdog groups, that’s too meager. Six months into office, they’re pushing the president to follow through on his campaign promise to press for an aggressive 25-point plan for ethics reform, fearful that the window to do so may be closing — and with it an opportunity to prevent the lapses of the Trump years from happening again." (Politico, July 16)

• Surgeon General assails tech companies over misinformation on Covid-19: "President Biden’s surgeon general on Thursday used his first formal advisory to the United States to deliver a broadside against tech and social media companies, which he accused of not doing enough to stop the spread of dangerous health misinformation — especially about Covid-19." (The New York Times, July 15)

• Top House Democrat presses Senate to take up watchdog bill: "House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) is encouraging the Senate to follow the House’s lead in passing legislation that would strengthen the authority of inspectors general and limit the president’s ability to remove them without cause." (The Hill, July 14)

Follow Our Work:

1. Follow CfA on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter and Facebook.
3. Tell your friends and colleagues about CfA. 
4. Send us a tip. 
5. Make a tax-deductible donation.