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24 

MURTHY v. MISSOURI 

Opinion of the Court 

their misinformation policies.9 

Privately,  Facebook  sent  monthly  “Covid  Insights”  re-
ports to officials in the White House and the Surgeon Gen-
eral’s  Office,  at  least  until  July  2022.    These  reports  con-
tained information about the top 100 vaccine-related posts
in the United States, including whether Facebook took ac-
tion  against  any  of  them.  In  June,  Facebook  asked  if  it 
should  continue  sending  these  reports,  as  it  had  stopped 
seeing  “problematic  vaccine  related”  content  in  the  top 
posts.  50 id., at 15,645–15,646.  The official replied that,
though he would “normally say we are good to discontinue,” 
the  reports  would  be  helpful  “as  we  start  to  ramp  up  . . . 
vaccines” for children under five.  Id., at 15,645.  The record 
contains no other evidence of private contact with respect 
to COVID–19 misinformation. 

On this record, it appears that the frequent, intense com-
munications that took place in 2021 had considerably sub-
sided by 2022.  (Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the changed 
state of the pandemic.)  It is thus very difficult for Hines to
show that she faces future harm that is traceable to officials 
in the White House and the Surgeon General’s Office.  Re-
call the Fifth Circuit’s reasoning regarding traceability for 
past harms: In the face of a governmental “pressure cam-
paign,” the “platforms’ censorship decisions were likely at-
tributable at least in part to [their] reluctance to risk the 
adverse legal or regulatory consequences that could result
from a refusal to adhere to the government’s directives.”  83 
F. 4th, at 370.  But in the months leading up to this suit,
these officials issued no directives and threatened no con-
sequences.  They only asked for information about the most
popular  vaccine-related  posts.    Hines  does  not  allege  that 
her content has fallen, or is likely to fall, in that category. 
—————— 

9 According to a declaration submitted by the Surgeon General’s Chief 
of Staff, no one in that office met with the platforms to discuss their sub-
missions “or otherwise had substantive communications with social me-
dia companies about the RFI.”  61 Record 19,480.