They keep it quiet, because they can’t admit they were wrong. They won’t use the word, but platforms like Facebook and Twitter are starting to acknowledge what they really are — publishers.
This week Facebook announced that it would start removing disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine from its social network. The news comes after Facebook and Twitter limited political advertising during the final weeks of the American election, and started tagging posts that spread political disinformation. After years of denying responsibility for what happens on their platforms, not only are these massive companies hesitantly taking up that responsibility, but they are quietly conceding their failure to monitor disinformation damages to society.
