The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday in a case that involves the Biden administration’s efforts to communicate with social media sites about posts officials believed made false or misleading claims about Covid-19 vaccines and the pandemic.
While the case primarily focuses on a debate around free speech, it also spotlights the potential harms of medical misinformation — which experts say has become increasingly complex and difficult to identify.
“It’s all changing really fast, and it’s even harder for the average person to filter out,” said Dr. Anish Agarwal, an emergency physician in Philadelphia.
Health hacks not backed by science have spread widely on social media platforms.
And rapid developments in artificial intelligence have made it even harder for people to tell what’s true and what’s false online.
Persons:
Biden, ”, Anish Agarwal, Tara Kirk Sell
Organizations:
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Locations:
Covid, Philadelphia