Artists boycotting Spotify have continued the conversation over tech companies’ responsibility when it comes to content moderation. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash are some of the musicians who withdrew their music from Spotify in protest over the company’s continued streaming of the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, which they say is spreading misinformation about COVID-19. (Spotify has since removed dozens of Rogan’s episodes containing racial slurs.)
Other platforms have taken a different stance and decided to act on their evaluation of misinformation in some episodes–particularly one of Rogan’s episodes featuring Dr. Robert Malone. Malone is one of the creators of the mRNA technology used in Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, and speaking on Rogan’s podcast, he expressed hesitation regarding its widespread use. YouTube removed the episode, and Twitter suspended Malone’s account.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all fact-check against claims supported by the CDC and WHO when it comes to evaluating information. As private companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the platforms are legally allowed to police the content on their sites. However, the sites do not have to monitor for misinformation, as Section 230 also states the companies can’t be held liable for the content users share.
Critics of content policing have voiced concerns that social media companies are targeting conservative voices. Supporters assert that monitoring for misinformation is the responsible approach.