Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/23-411_3dq3.pdf
Page Number: 47.0

Cite as:  603 U. S. ____ (2024) 

13 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

should be held accountable” for publishing misinformation.
61 Record 19400–19401.  Indeed, she said that the White 
House was “reviewing” whether §230 should be amended to
open the platforms to suit.  Id., at 19400. 

Facebook responded quickly.  The same day the President 
made his “killing people” remark, the platform reached out 
to  Dr.  Murthy  to  determine  “the  scope  of  what  the  White 
House expects from us on misinformation going forward.”  9 
id., at 2690.  The next day, Facebook asked officials about
how to “get back to a good place” with the White House.  30 
id., at 9403.  And soon after, Facebook sent an email saying
that it “hear[d]” the officials’ “call for us to do more,” and
promptly assured the White House that it would comply.  9 
id.,  at  2706.  In  spite  of  the  White  House’s  inflammatory
rhetoric, Facebook at all times went out of its way to strike 
a conciliatory tone.  Only two days after the President’s re-
mark—and before his supposed clarification—Facebook as-
sured Dr. Murthy that, though “it’s not great to be accused 
of killing people,” Facebook would “find a way to deescalate 
and work together collaboratively.”  Id., at 2713. 

Concrete  changes  followed  in  short  order.    In  early  Au-
gust, the Surgeon General’s Office reached out to Facebook 
for “an update of any new/additional steps you are taking
with respect to health misinformation in light of ” the July
15 advisory.  Id., at 2703.  In response, Facebook informed 
the  Surgeon  General  that  it  would  soon  “expan[d]  [its] 
COVID policies to further reduce the spread of potentially
harmful content.”  Id., at 2701. 

White  House-Facebook  conversations  about  misinfor-
mation  did not  end  there.    In  September,  the Wall  Street 
Journal wrote about the spread of misinformation on Face-
book, and Facebook preemptively reached out to the White 
House to clarify.  8 id., at 2681.  Flaherty asked (again) for
information  on  “how  big  the  problem  is,  what  solutions 
you’re implementing, and how effective they’ve been.”  Ibid.