During an interview at the Wall Street Journal Summit in London, investor and philanthropist Bill Gates complained that the suggestions for suppressing conspiracy theories and “misinformation” on Big Tech platforms are “less creative than we need at this point” and called for “smart solutions.”
When asked about the role of tech platforms when it comes to dealing with misinformation, Gates lamented what he described as a human “weakness” for “titillating things” such as claims that the coronavirus is man-made or “that there’s some conspiracy.”
Gates added that social media platforms allow this type of content to spread very quickly:
“That stuff spreads so much faster than the truth which is, you know, it comes from a bat, you know, we’re still trying to figure out the exact path of transmission.” Gates said. “You don’t forward that the same that way you would the conspiracy.”
He also claimed that anti-mask and anti-vaccine content cause “huge damage” and said this has raised the urgent question of restricting this “weakness” while preserving free speech.
Read more: Bill Gates calls for Big Tech to implement “smart solutions” that slow the spread of misinformation
