STATE OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE CAPITOL
ALBANY,
NY 12224
LETITIA JAMES
ATTORNEY GENERAL
(518) 776-2000
July 29, 2021
Will Castleberry
Vice President, State Policy & Community Engagement
Facebook, Inc.
1299 Pennsylvania Avenue
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Mr. Castleberry:
I write on behalf of my office and the undersigned groups. Misinformation is undermining the country’s efforts
to end the pandemic and exacerbating racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination rates. People are using social
media platforms to disseminate not only misinformation but disinformation about vaccines, encouraging
vaccine hesitancy among Americans. As new virus variants emerge and infection rates begin to rise again, it is
critically important that social media companies take stronger action to combat misinformation and encourage
vulnerable communities to get vaccinated.
The disparities in vaccination rates are most acute with the Latino community. For example, only 15.4 percent
of Latino people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 59.8 percent of white,
non-Hispanic people.
1
A recent study found that 51 percent of Latino people who have yet to be vaccinated
have concerns regarding its safety and efficacy.
2
Among primarily Spanish-speaking people, this number
increases to 67 percent.
3
The data highlights the urgent need to disseminate accurate information within this
community, especially in the Spanish language and dialects.
1
Demographic Characteristics of People Receiving COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States, CTR. FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION: COVID DATA TRACKER, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographic (last visited July 9,
2021).
2
See Voto Latino, NEW STUDY: Facebook is Primary Driver of Covid-19 Misinformation in the Latinx Community, Fueling
Vaccine Hesitancy, C
ISION: PR NEWSWIRE (Apr. 21, 2021, 14:44 ET), https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-
facebook-is-primary-driver-of-covid-19-misinformation-in-the-latinx-community-fueling-vaccine-hesitancy-301274152.html (last
visited July 9, 2021).
3
Id.
In addition to sharing accurate information, more must be done to stop the false information that is pervasive
on social media platforms. According to a survey conducted on behalf of the Latino Anti-Disinformation Lab,
almost 40 percent of Latino respondents said that they had been exposed to material that made them believe the
COVID-19 vaccines are neither safe nor effective.
4
Twenty percent said that they had directly received false or
harmful information through sources like Facebook and messaging apps and 78 percent said they believed
misinformation to be a somewhat serious or very serious problem in their community.
5
In order to assuage
people’s concerns, social media platforms must work to address and dispel harmful and inaccurate myths about
the virus and the vaccines.
Recent reports suggest that Facebook could do more to respond to Spanish-language misinformation.
6
One
report found that only 30 percent of false information in Spanish is flagged and accompanied by a warning label
on the platform compared to 70 percent of similar content in English.
7
A video in Spanish that stated that the
COVID-19 virus was created in a Chinese lab was allowed to circulate for 22 days unchecked and ultimately
received 33 million views.
8
With Facebook as the primary platform of choice for most Latino social media
users,
9
it is critical that Facebook improve its Spanish-language moderation and efforts to combat misleading
information.
We understand that the approach to combatting misinformation must differ across Facebook’s products and
platforms. For example, we understand that WhatsApp maintains end-to-end encryption but has made strides in
the fight against misinformation including by limiting the number of times a message can be forwarded and
affixing a magnifying glass to highly-forwarded messages, which allows Google-searches of the content of the
message.
10
However, that puts the burden on the WhatsApp user to do their own fact-checking, and most users
are more likely to trust information shared by a friend or family member. Another option would be to perform
on-device fact-checking of previously-labeled misinformation. This approach could present the recipient with
a symbol indicating that the content has been labeled misinformation or, in more dire circumstances, could
prevent further sharing of the content.
11
We must make sure that the Latino community is protected from the dual viruses of misinformation and
COVID-19. Facebook has a responsibility to monitor all its platforms and to amplify scientifically accurate
messaging about this critical public health issue. The Latinx community should not be targeted nor misinformed,
especially when they have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 both in terms of case rates and
unemployment.
12
Facebook has a critical role to play in building trust and knowledge so that more Latinx people
across the country get the right information and get vaccinated.
4
Id.
5
Id.
6
See Kari Paul, ‘Facebook Has a Blind Spot’: Why Spanish-Language Misinformation is Flourishing, THE GUARDIAN (Mar. 3,
2021, 6:00 AM), https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/03/facebook-spanish-language-misinformation-covid-19-
election (last accessed July 9, 2021).
7
Id.
8
Id.
9
Id.
10
Jennifer Still, How to Use WhatsApp's Fact-Checking Feature to Research the Validity of Viral, Forwarded Messages, INSIDER
(Oct. 2, 2020, 4:27 PM), https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-whatsapp-fact-check (last accessed July 13, 2021).
11
See Julio C. S. Reis et al., Can WhatsApp Benefit from Debunked Fact-Checked Stories to Reduce Misinformation?, HARV.
KENNEDY SCH.: MISINFORMATION REV. (Aug. 20, 2020), https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/can-whatsapp-benefit-from-
debunked-fact-checked-stories-to-reduce-misinformation/ (last accessed July 13, 2021).
12
See Ryan Zamarripa & Lorena Roque, Latinos Face Disproportionate Health and Economic Impacts From COVID-19, CENTER
FOR
AMERICAN PROGRESS (Mar. 5, 2021, 8:55 AM),
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/reports/2021/03/05/496733/latinos-face-disproportionate-health-economic-
impacts-covid-19/ (last accessed July 9, 2021).
We request that Facebook share with our office its policies and procedures regarding misinformation targeted
towards the Latino community as well as any initiatives that Facebook has underway to amplify evidence-based
and scientifically accurate material to Latino users. The recent CDC-launched WhatsApp chat, “Mi Chat Sobre
Vacunas COVID” is an example of a positive initiative that should be replicated across platforms.
13
Facebook
should also publish data on how much virus or vaccine-related misinformation it is encountering and how often
it is taking action, similar to the other metrics it reports on as part of its quarterly Community Standards
Enforcement Report.
14
Specifically, we request the following:
1. Explain what tools Facebook uses to monitor Spanish-language and Latino-targeted misinformation
regarding the COVID-19 virus and vaccines across its platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram:
a. What kinds of actions are taken when misinformation is identified on the platforms?
b. How does Facebook account for the fact that it flags so much less misinformation in Spanish
compared with in English?
c. What keywords does Facebook’s AI use to identify misinformation in both Spanish and English?
d. Does Facebook consider other Spanish-language dialects and consult with appropriate experts to
determine its keyword choices?
e. Are human reviewers used to identify misinformation in Spanish and, if so, how does the number
of reviewers compare to the number of English language reviewers?
f. Does Facebook rely on user reports for this kind of misinformation and, if so, what is the average
review and response time?
g. What strategies is Facebook using to fight misinformation disseminated through WhatsApp,
where messages are encrypted end-to-end?
2. Explain what steps Facebook is taking to disseminate evidence-based, scientifically accurate
information on the virus and the vaccines to the Latinx community across its platforms, including
WhatsApp and Instagram:
a. Is this information available in Spanish and Spanish dialects?
b. Can users easily choose which language they wish to use to view this information?
c. Is Facebook able to target users by their racial or ethnic demography?
d. How does Facebook ensure Latino users receive this information or are directed to the platform’s
COVID-19 Information Center?
e. How often is information on COVID-19 updated on the platform and do those updates happen
simultaneously in English and Spanish?
We ask that you provide the requested information on or before August 12, 2021. Should you have any
questions, please contact Jarret Hova, Senior Policy Counsel, at 212-416-8587 or [email protected]. We
appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
13
See Carmen Sesin, CDC Launches Covid-19 WhatsApp Chat in Spanish to Spur More Latino Vaccinations, NBC NEWS (June 21,
2021, 12:08 PM), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/cdc-launches-covid-19-whatsapp-chat-spanish-spur-latino-vaccinations-
rcna1235 (last accessed July 9, 2021).
14
Community Standards Enforcement Report: Q1 2021 Report, FACEBOOK (May 2021),
https://transparency.fb.com/data/community-standards-enforcement (last visited July 13, 2021).
Sincerely,
LETITIA JAMES
NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Lisa Sorin, President
Bronx Chamber of Commerce
Micky Jimenez, Executive Director
Capital District Latinos
Rosita M. Romero, Executive Director
Dominican Women's Development Center
(DWDC)
Marco A. Carrión, Executive Director
El Puente
Siobhan Dennehy, Executive Director
Emerald Isle Immigration Center
Damaris Reyes, Executive Director
Good Old Lower East Side, Inc. (GOLES)
Rebecca Sanin, J.D., M.A, President and CEO
Health and Welfare Council of Long
Island (HWCLI)
Frankie Miranda, President and CEO
Hispanic Federation
Erika I. Green, MSL, Chief Program Officer
Ibero Rochester
Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Director
Make the Road New York
Lorena Kourousias, Executive Director
Mixteca Organization, Inc.
C. Sonia Martinez, Executive Director
Mohawk Valley Latino Association
Jonathan Westin, Executive Director
New York Communities for Change
Alana P. Cantillo, Interim VP of Advocacy
New York Immigration Coalition
Minerva Perez, Executive Director
OLA of Eastern Long Island
David Fagan, MSHA, MSL, Executive Director
R.A.I.N. Home Attendant Services, Inc.
Jorge Guadron, President
Salvadoran American Chamber of Commerce
Elisa Morales, Executive Director
Spanish Action League of Onondaga County,
Inc. – La Liga
Lisette Sosa-Dickson, Executive Director
Spanish Speaking Elderly Council-RAICES,
Inc.
Joyce Rivera, Founder and CEO
St. Ann's Corner of Harm Reduction
Elizabeth Yeampierre, Executive Director
UPROSE
Paloma Hernandez ,President and CEO
Urban Health Plan
