Culture Bill Gates: Lies spread faster than facts on social media, which is hard to police - Bill Gates told CNBC that "titillating" misinformation has a tendency to spread faster than the truth on social media services. He also said Elon Musk likes to "maintain a high level of outrageous comments."

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/bill-gates-lies-spread-faster-than-facts-on-social-media.html

- Bill Gates told CNBC that “titillating” misinformation has a tendency to spread faster than the truth on social media services.
- Gates also weighed in on Wednesday’s highly anticipated antitrust hearing featuring CEOs from Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.
- Gates also touched on Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s controversial comments about Covid-19, telling the automaker entrepreneur to stay in his lane.

Billionaire Bill Gates told CNBC that misinformation has a tendency to spread faster than the truth on social media services.

“When you let people communicate, you have to deal with the fact that certain incorrect things that are very titillating can spread very rapidly compared to the truth. And we’ve always seen that with vaccines,” Gates said in an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin that aired Tuesday on “Squawk Box.”

Facts travel slowly on social media compared with “negative” misinformation, which makes it difficult for companies like Facebook and Twitter to strike a balance, Gates said.

“To the degree to which these media companies can see what’s being said on their platform and take things that are absolutely wrong and get rid of those things or slow those things down, that’s very tough,” the Microsoft co-founder said in Monday’s interview.

Further complicating the policing of misinformation for Facebook is its 2019 decision to encrypt users’ direct messaging on WhatsApp, Gates said.

“Some of the messages on their platform, they don’t even see because of the encryption on WhatsApp,” Gates said. “In order to not have any responsibility, they’ve made that opaque. You know, so whatever the issues — anti-vaccine, child pornography — they have made sure they can’t intervene on those things.”

Gates also weighed in on Wednesday’s highly anticipated antitrust hearing featuring CEOs from Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.

“You know, it certainly reminds me of when I went in front of the Congress,” he said. “I wished them well.”

Despite the hearings, Gates said, he believes the tech industry is naturally very competitive.

“Now, I’m not saying that the authorities have to be totally laissez-faire. But I do think people underestimate that natural competitive forces do come into the space,” he said. “I think of tech as even without massive regulation, that there will be a lot of innovation.”

Gates also touched on Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s controversial comments about Covid-19, telling the automaker entrepreneur to stay in his lane.

“Elon’s positioning is to maintain a high level of outrageous comments,” Gates said. “He’s not much involved in vaccines. He makes a great electric car. And his rockets work well. So he’s allowed to say these things. I hope that he doesn’t confuse areas he’s not involved in too much.”

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Wew, Bill. The mainstream media spreads a lot of misinformation and fake news, what about that?

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

It's really weird how you keep doing this.

You condemn Trump for shit like that, but you won't even respond to equally egregious fuck-ups - such as the WHO saying there was no human-to-human transmission of COVID-19, Twitter giving the Chinese government a pass to spread misinformation about COVID back in March, the CDC going back and forth on mask-wearing repeatedly, or putting out that pants-shittingly stupid "it's OK to protest if you're BLM" shit.

Calling out his missteps is fine. None but the most Autistic here would take issue with you if you were doing that. Unfortunately, that's fucking not what you've been doing in this and almost a dozen other threads now. You have made abundantly clear that you feel Trump harbors 100% of all responsibility for the crisis, but that simply doesn't make logical sense, especially when there's so many angles to this fucking thing.

I don't know whether it's because you're trying some weird, deep-cover version of the Catparty gambit or if something about this whole shebang is just personal for you, but I hope things get better for you eventually.

It was a brand new virus. What we knew about it changed as we learned more about it. So recommendations changed. Did you really expect them to know everything about it right away? It's not a difficult concept. But in either case, Trump ignored what the experts were recommending. Even as of a few weeks ago he held a rally in Tulsa without masks. You can admit he really fucked up the response. America has 25% of the covid deaths world wide despite having 5% of the world's population.

I'm saying old people or people who were already on a fast pace to deaths door dying isn't a reason to put a country on lockdown. That's just insanity.

There's been healthy people who died, too. 150k people in just 5 months is a ton. We will likely break 220k by election times. But will you at least wear a mask in public?

 

[Jaimas]

It was a brand new virus. What we knew about it changed as we learned more about it. So recommendations changed. Did you really expect them to know everything about it right away? It's not a difficult concept. But in either case, Trump ignored what the experts were recommending. Even as of a few weeks ago he held a rally in Tulsa without masks. You can admit he really fucked up the response. America has 25% of the covid deaths world wide despite having 5% of the world's population.

OK, so he just doesn't get the same defense you allow literally everyone else.

Fascinating.

 

[CheezzyMach]

OK, so he just doesn't get the same defense you allow literally everyone else.

Fascinating.

Dude I like you but Trump less then two weeks ago was telling people wearing a mask was patriotic and then turned around and hosted an anti mask rally just days ago.

You can hate the way Democrats have handled this and still acknowledge that Trump is being a two faced snake about it.

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

There's been healthy people who died, too. But will you at least wear a mask in public?

Not enough to warrant this reaction. You can't even be sure if they even died of COVID because many deaths unrelated to COVID was added to the tally. These people, like Dr. Fauci don't want to man up and admit that it isn't nearly as bad as we feared because they plunged the economy into the toilet and caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their livelihood.

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

Not enough to warrant this reaction. You can't even be sure if they even died of COVID because many deaths unrelated to COVID was added to the tally. These people, like Dr. Fauci don't want to man up and admit that it isn't nearly as bad as we feared because they plunged the economy into the toilet and caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their livelihood.

You can't possibly be retarded enough to believe that debunked conspiracy theory. That's stupid even by Trump supporter standards. It's all a world-wide conspiracy to make Trump look bad, right?

But again, you claim to be all for lives and all that crap; do you wear a mask out in public?

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

You can't possibly be retarded enough to believe that debunked conspiracy theory. That's stupid even by Trump supporter standards. It's all a world-wide conspiracy to make Trump look bad, right?

But again, you claim to be all for lives and all that crap; do you wear a mask out in public?

No, because I'm not a faggot.

What conspiracy? The CDC said they count deaths as COVID even if it wasn't the cause.

 

[bippu_as_fuck_ls400]

Further complicating the policing of misinformation for Facebook is its 2019 decision to encrypt users’ direct messaging on WhatsApp, Gates said.

“Some of the messages on their platform, they don’t even see because of the encryption on WhatsApp,” Gates said. “In order to not have any responsibility, they’ve made that opaque. You know, so whatever the issues — anti-vaccine, child pornography — they have made sure they can’t intervene on those things.”

Oh no! Won't someone please think of the children! To equate anti-vaccine and child pornography is ridiculous. I'm surprised he didn't throw in terrorism in that statement.

 

[CheezzyMach]

Not enough to warrant this reaction. You can't even be sure if they even died of COVID because many deaths unrelated to COVID was added to the tally. These people, like Dr. Fauci don't want to man up and admit that it isn't nearly as bad as we feared because they plunged the economy into the toilet and caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their livelihood.

It nearly crippled Italy when they refused to take it seriously and despite repeated denials from Conservatives is continuing to spike here in the US.

I'd say that's pretty bad.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

The ONLY people who have been serious and consistent with this shit are Doctor Fauci and Birx

Doctor Fauci hasn't been consistent with himself about the virus either*.

*you may take issue with the "biased" source, but then again what source is unbiased nowadays?

You can't possibly be retarded enough to believe that debunked conspiracy theory.

I thought you wouldn't use the term "retarded" anymore. Are you lapsing again?

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

It nearly crippled Italy when they refused to take it seriously and despite repeated denials from Conservatives is continuing to spike here in the US.

I'd say that's pretty bad.

Where almost all the people who died from it were 79, which is about the average life expectancy over there.

Also, have you ever been to Italy or met an Italian? They love their cigarettes.

 

[CheezzyMach]

Where almost all the people who died from it were 79, which is about the average life expectancy over there.

Also, have you ever been to Italy or met an Italian? They love their cigarettes.

And nearly half the US population is in the venerable age range for this and Americans aren't exactly the perfect image of health ourselves given the ongoing obesity crisis.

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

And nearly half the US population is in the venerable age range for this and Americans aren't exactly the perfect image of health ourselves given the ongoing obesity crisis.

Old people die. You can't stop it, so why does everyone else have to suffer because of it?

 

[Miller]

It is mostly going to a charity he and his wife created and direct.

and also Warren Buffett. The money that Gates gives to his foundation goes through Buffett's first.

 

[CheezzyMach]

Old people die. You can't stop it, so why does everyone else have to suffer because of it?

That flippant attitude did wonders for Italy when this first hit. Do you really think half the population being venerable to this shit is no big deal and we should take no measures at all to contain it?

That's also ignoring the fact that even young people here are likely to have other illnesses * like obesity and diabetes * that make them more likely to be hospitalized by this.

 

[quickthrowaway]

Amazing how the US has only 360 million people, yet accounts for almost 25% of world-wide covid cases. Why the hell do you think that is?

Cause China is lying about their numbers.

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

No, because I'm not a faggot.

What conspiracy? The CDC said they count deaths as COVID even if it wasn't the cause.

No it doesn't, you dumbass. Despite what your boomer uncle says, they don't. Experts think the total is actually higher than reported. Your lord and savior Trump fucked up the response and it's cost us a lot of lives.

Not wearing a mask shows how stupid and selfish you are, though. Is it so hard to put on a piece of cloth to help slow the spread of a deadly pandemic? You're a selfish piece of shit.

Old people die. You can't stop it, so why does everyone else have to suffer because of it?

Then why is the US's death toll so much higher than anywhere else? Put on a damn mask and do your part, you selfish piece of shit

I thought you wouldn't use the term "retarded" anymore. Are you lapsing again?

Eh old habits are hard to break. I am not perfect, nor is anyone else. Plus, to be fair to me, i's obvious by his posts that he is somewhat mentally handicapped

 

[GrayWater]

No it doesn't, you dumbass. Despite what your boomer uncle says, they don't. Experts think the total is actually higher than reported. Your lord and savior Trump fucked up the response and it's cost us a lot of lives.

Not wearing a mask shows how stupid and selfish you are, though. Is it so hard to put on a piece of cloth to help slow the spread of a deadly pandemic? You're a selfish piece of shit.



Then why is the US's death toll so much higher than anywhere else? Put on a damn mask and do your part, you selfish piece of shit



Eh old habits are hard to break. I am not perfect, nor is anyone else. Plus, to be fair to me, i's obvious by his posts that he is somewhat mentally handicapped

lol calm down

 

[UptownRuckus]

He couldn't even keep Windows virus-free, now he thinks he can do the same to people everywhere if they just bow to their geeky superiors?

Does anyone beside me remember his Ted Talk?
Also does anyone know all the companies that he owns? Like damn he has his hands in a lot of private companies...which isn't wrong in the root of it...but when you look at them you have to wonder why is a computer programming running them.

 

[Tasty Tatty]

I'm sick of people thinking a global pandemic is a US liberal media conspiracy, regardless of anything else (like BLM or other retardation from the left).

Same. Also, I'm sick of those who think that because certain countries are handling it relatively well, it's "not such a big deal".

 

[Hollywood Hitler]

That flippant attitude did wonders for Italy when this first hit. Do you really think half the population being venerable to this shit is no big deal and we should take no measures at all to contain it?

That's also ignoring the fact that even young people here are likely to have other illnesses * like obesity and diabetes * that make them more likely to be hospitalized by this.

Their health problems isn't necessarily mine or anyone else's responsibility though. Just because someone wants to eat themselves to an early grave doesn't mean I or anyone else should have to be put out of work and into financial turmoil. That's very selfish of them, not me.