Coronavirus Misinformation, Social Media and Freedom of Speech
J. Woodford Howard · 2021
ABTRACTMisinformation about coronavirus is rampant on social media networks.In many instances, this misinformation -whether about the virus's cause or its cure -is dangerous, leading people to harm themselves or others.What should be done to contain or counter this misinformation?Does a proper commitment to freedom of expression mean that individuals must be free to peddle dangerous falsehoods -and that social media companies must be free to provide a platform for them?This chapter argues that coronavirus misinformation is not protected by the moral right to free speech, opening up the possibility of justifying restrictions against it.Misinformation about the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19, is ubiquitous.Some of the misinformation concerns the origin of the virus, as with the conspiracy theory that the Chinese government manufactured it in a lab as a biological weapon.Other misinformation addressees the various measures that reduce transmission, with a wide array of sources falsely claiming that people shouldn't wear masks on the grounds that they cause greater harm.Still more misinformation concerns the appropriate treatment for COVID-19, with many prominent figures-including the US and Brazilian presidents-advancing the false claim that hydroxychloroquine (an anti-malarial drug) is a proven effective treatment.And a raft of conspiracy theories concern the long-awaited vaccine, with a prominent theory falsely avowing that Bill Gates seeks to use the vaccine to implant location-tracking microchips in all of humanity (see Sanders 2020, Goodman and Carmichael 2020, Wong 2020) Misinformation about coronavirus is problematic for a number of reasons, but the most important reason is that it can lead to harm.It can lead people to harm themselves-making risky decisions that increase their exposure or involve harmful self-medication, and may have caused such harm already (Islam et al. 2020).But misinformation can also lead people to harm others.In some cases, it does so by assisting the virus's transmission.Failing to wear a mask when one may be infected increases the risk that one will infect others.Likewise, refusing available vaccination endangers others, too, such as those who cannot be vaccinated.In other cases, misinformation is dangerous because it can inspire violence.For example, conspiracy theories alleging that the virus is a scam created to control citizens have resulted in death threats against contact tracers (Thomas and Gatewood 2020).Similarly, the