The problems with Facebook, Twitter, and the New York Post?s Hunter Biden story

Then, social media companies stepped in.Facebook reduced the reach of the Post’s story the morning it was published, saying that it was eligible for fact-checking by the platform’s partners. Social media networks were widely excoriated for failing to act, and they would probably have been criticized for letting the Post claims spread widely — especially Facebook, where CrowdTangle data indicates the story was particularly popular.3. Social media platforms almost certainly have the legal right to ban this story — or even the entirety of the New York Post. So from here out, we’re not talking about whether Facebook and Twitter can restrict articles like the Post’s, but whether doing so is good for users, journalists, democracy, and the networks themselves.The internet is full of viral half-truths, honest mistakes, outright lies, and other unreliable information. Twitter later elaborated on its decision, saying the Post story included “personal and private information — like email addresses and phone numbers — which violate our rules.”8. Many people have suggested that it backfired and gave the articles about Biden more exposure, but it’s hard to tell if it will actually spread the original story’s allegations, if the controversy will just add to the general Republican distrust of social media, or if it will simply get lost in the breakneck election news cycle.9.