Earlier this month, Selena Gomez called out Facebook and Instagram for failing to remove accounts “selling racist products,” and now she’s slamming Facebook for allowing disinformation about the coronavirus to be spread unchecked.
“Scientific disinformation has and will cost lives. @Facebook said they don’t allow lies about COVID and vaccines to be spread on their platforms,” she wrote in a tweet issued on Tuesday. “So how come all of this is still happening? Facebook is going to be responsible for thousands of deaths if they don’t take action now!”
Scientific disinformation has and will cost lives. @Facebook said they don’t allow lies about COVID and vaccines to be spread on their platforms. So how come all of this is still happening? Facebook is going to be responsible for thousands of deaths if they don’t take action now! https://t.co/IAtDpNT5Tt
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) December 30, 2020
Previously, Gomez retweeted a post from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) slamming the social media sites for not removing a “Neo-Nazi network.”
I’m speechless. @Facebook @Instagram how are you tolerating this hate? There’s still accounts there even though you have been notified!! https://t.co/Q3VUzLQ7IF
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) December 3, 2020
The CCDH is a London-based non-profit that “deals with the increasing use of identity-based hate to polarize societies and undermine democracy.”
An Instagram rep has since told ET Canada: “We’ve already removed the violating content brought to our attention,” pointing out the CCDH post in question was 10 days old.
A Facebook company spokesperson added, “We have removed the content which violates our policies prohibiting dangerous organizations. We regularly work to improve our technology to find and remove this content faster and, while there is more work to do, we are making progress.
“We’ve banned over 250 white supremacist organizations from Facebook and Instagram, and remove content that praises, supports or represents these groups whenever we find it. Between July and September, we removed four million pieces of content tied to organized hate from Facebook, over 97 per cent of which we found before it was reported.”
This isn’t the first time Gomez has voiced her opinions on social media.
She previously shared a DM she sent to Facebook executives Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg on her Instagram Story back in September.
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“Facebook and Instagram are being used to spread hate, misinformation, racism, and bigotry,” Gomez wrote.
“I am calling you both to HELP STOP THIS. Please shut down groups and users focused on spreading hate speech violence and misinformation. Our future depends on it.”
ET Canada has contacted Facebook and Instagram for comment.
