A group of House Democrats representing areas affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton are calling on the leaders of major technology companies to do more to combat the flurry of misinformation online about the extreme weather.
In a letter sent Friday, Reps. Deborah Ross (N.C.), Kathy Castor (Fla.), Nikema Williams (Ga.) and Wiley Nickel (N.C.) wrote they have observed a “troubling surge in misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories and scams” in the aftermath of Helene and Milton.
This stream of misinformation is hindering the recovery process in the South, the lawmakers wrote, echoing comments made on the issue earlier this week by President Biden and a host of other federal, state and local leaders.
“Disaster response agencies, climate scientists and rescue organizations work tirelessly to provide critical information and render assistance to those impacted by catastrophic events,”........