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Surgeon General Demands Data on COVID Misinformation From Major Tech Firms
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has reportedly asked Big Tech companies to hand over data regarding COVID-19 misinformation, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
In a formal notice, Murthy requested major tech platforms submit information about the prevalence and scale of COVID-19 misinformation on their sites, from social networks, search engines, crowdsourced platforms, e-commerce platforms and instant messaging systems.
Misinformation about vaccinations took center stage earlier this year when Neil Young said he would pull his music off the music platform Spotify in protest over podcast host Joe Rogan, who had interviewed guests questioning the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
States Launch Probe Into TikTok’s Effect on Kids’ Health
State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users’ mental health, widening government scrutiny of the wildly popular video platform.
The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.
U.S. lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok, citing practices and computer-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users. The platform has an estimated 1 billion monthly users and is especially popular with teens and younger children.
CA Legislators Propose New Slate of COVID Vaccine Laws
Gov. Gavin Newsom is easing mask restrictions and declaring that the pandemic is moving into a less critical phase. Yet an aggressive slate of COVID-19-related bills — to mandate vaccines for children and workers, to allow 12 to 17 year-olds to get the vaccine without parental consent and more — remain in play under the Capitol dome.
The vaccine working group of Democratic legislators behind the proposals say their aim is to increase vaccination rates across all age groups, improve the state vaccine registration database and crack down on misinformation about the virus and the vaccine.
Taken together, the adoption of these bills would make California an outlier among states — and give it the country’s strictest COVID-19 regulations.
In Symbolic Vote, Senate Rejects Vaccine Mandate for Health Workers
The Senate voted on Wednesday to roll back President Biden’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers at federally funded facilities, in a symbolic move orchestrated by Republicans who are pushing to weaponize pandemic precautions against Democrats in this year’s midterm congressional elections.
In a vote forced by Republicans, the measure passed 49 to 44 along party lines, after 6 Democratic absences left the majority party short of the votes needed to defeat it. The measure is all but certain to die in the Democratic-controlled House; even if it cleared that chamber, the White House said on Wednesday that Mr. Biden would veto it.
“This vaccine mandate is not about public health or science,” Senator Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican who is a physician, said in a speech on the Senate floor, a stethoscope draped around his neck. “The Biden administration’s mandate is about fulfilling their desire to control every aspect of our lives. And it’s a slap in the face to the hard-working men and women who never took a day off in the frontline fight of the COVID-19 battle.”
With Carnival Over, New Orleans Dropping COVID Mandates
New Orleans will drop multiple COVID-19 restrictions as Carnival season, which attracts revelers from around the country, comes to an end.
In a statement on Wednesday, the New Orleans Health Department said the city’s indoor mask mandate will be lifted on Thursday, and it will also lift its vaccine mandate for city venues later this month.
Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno noted that the city’s proof of vaccination requirement will end on Mar. 21 if the city’s hospitalizations rates remain stable.
‘Freedom Convoy’ Spinoff Headed to DC Region Arrives This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
The U.S. protesters inspired by the self-styled “Freedom Convoy” that occupied downtown Ottawa for more weeks, headed out from Southern California last week for a cross-country trip to the DC region. They plan to arrive this weekend, and Virginia State Police describes the convoy as a “still-fluid situation.” Here’s what you need to know:
The “People’s Convoy,” a U.S.-based group of activists opposed to vaccine mandates, is on a cross-country trip aiming to arrive in Hagerstown, MD, on Mar. 4 before targeting the DC Beltway area on Mar. 5.
Maine to Rescind School Mask Recommendation on March 9
Maine’s state government said Wednesday it is rescinding a recommendation for universal masking in schools and childcare facilities.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Education said they are considering mask use optional in those settings starting Mar. 9. The final say will rest at the local level, as local school boards have authority about mask requirements in the state’s school districts.
COVID: Quebec to End Most Mask Requirements in April, Stop Vaccine Passport Sooner
The Quebec government will ease mask requirements starting in April as well as fully eliminate the province’s COVID-19 vaccine passport system a few days earlier than expected.
The province will no longer require masks in the majority of public places — including universities and CEGEPs — starting in mid-April. The government did not give an exact date, but said it will give a notice of 10 days before the measure is lifted.
The move comes as masks will no longer be mandatory in elementary and high school classrooms starting next week.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said the province’s proof-of-vaccination system will also be entirely phased out on Mar. 12, 2 days earlier than previously announced. All public places will be able to operate at 100% capacity on that date. There will be no capacity limits on tables in restaurants, casinos and bars — and they can return to their regular business hours.
COVID in Europe: France to Scrap Face Masks and Vaccine Passes on March 14
French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday that the country would soon remove further COVID-19 restrictions.
From Mar. 14, face masks would only be required on public transport while vaccine health passes would not be needed to enter most venues. Proof of vaccination will still be needed to enter French hospitals, health centers and retirement homes, Castex added.
‘Lots of Happy Tears’: Joy as New Zealand Opens Border After Two Years of Isolation
Tears, hugs, laughter and the shouts of children echoed through the arrivals halls of New Zealand, as the country opened its borders and lifted isolation requirements.
For almost two years, New Zealand’s international airports’ arrival terminals have been shuttered ghost towns. Apart from a short-lived travel bubble with Australia, the country’s borders have been closed, with those lucky enough to secure entry into the country whisked to government-managed isolation and quarantine facilities for a costly 2 weeks secluded in a hotel room.
Australia Fully Open to Travel as Last State Reopens Border
Australia was fully open to vaccinated travelers after Western Australia on Thursday became the last state to lift border restrictions.
The state lifted restrictions on Thursday, 4 months after Sydney began its staged reopening of quarantine-free travel and more than a week after all vaccinated tourists became eligible for visas.
Ukraine Wants to Basically Kick Russia Off the Internet. Terrible Idea.
Many of the world’s most popular platforms and services have sought to stymie Russia’s information operations and propaganda amid its illegal invasion of Ukraine. Meta, Google, Twitter, TikTok, and others have de-platformed, demonetized, and de-amplified Russian state media and official channels, making them official participants in the information war that they largely refused to wade into in the months and years leading up to the war on Ukraine.
But Ukraine wants to go even further by kicking Russia off the internet.
Shutting down some 5 million domains — including those belonging to local news outlets, non-governmental organizations and civic groups — would potentially be kicking much of the country offline.
Disconnecting the Russian internet would make it more difficult for people in the country, some of whom vocally and at great risk oppose the war, to express themselves and provide an alternative narrative to Putin’s propaganda machine.
‘We Were Terrified’: Block Co-Founder Explains How the Fintech Giant Avoided ‘Death by Amazon’
In 2014, Amazon launched a product that sounded strikingly similar to something already on offer from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s payments company Square, which is today known as Block.
It was called Amazon Register, and it would let small businesses accept credit card payments using a smartphone or tablet computer, just like Block’s technology. There was one key difference, though: Amazon offered processing fees of as low as 1.75%, compared to the 2.75% rate from Block.
“We were still a startup, and Amazon copied our product and undercut our price,” Jim McKelvey, who co-founded Block with Dorsey in 2009, said during a fireside discussion with CNBC at the Mobile World Congress tech show.
“When Amazon does this to a start-up, the start-up dies,” he added. “When Amazon did that to Square, we were terrified.” Block wasn’t unique in facing possible “death by Amazon.”
