Mayorkas: We’re Working with Platforms on ‘How They Can Better Use’ Their Terms to ‘Prevent Harm’ from Misinformation

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the department is working with tech companies “that are the platform for much of the disinformation that reaches the American public, how they can better use their terms of use to really strengthen the legitimate use of their very powerful platforms and prevent harm from occurring.”

Host Andrea Mitchell asked, “You’ve spoken out about disinformation and the threat that that creates. But what can you do that the FBI isn’t already doing on social media?”

Mayorkas responded, “So, we’re working together with them. We’re working with the tech companies that are the platform for much of the disinformation that reaches the American public, how they can better use their terms of use to really strengthen the legitimate use of their very powerful platforms and prevent harm from occurring.”

He added, “We respect the First Amendment right, but the connectivity between speech and violence, the connectivity between active harm and speech is something that we’re very focused on, and it’s a difficult challenge. But we’re working on it and meeting that challenge, again, because of the great personnel of the Department of Homeland Security and across the federal enterprise.”

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