Covid-19 data will no longer go to CDC, according to NYT 2:39
(CNN Business) - In an unusual rebuke to President Donald Trump, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized the president and his administration for the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States 'leading infectious disease expert, on Thursday Zuckerberg accused the government of acting against the experts' advice.
- READ: New poll reaffirms that most Americans do not trust the president, but they do trust Dr. Fauci
"I just think it was avoidable and it's really disappointing that we don't have the proper evidence yet, that the credibility of the best scientists like you and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is being undermining and that until recently those parts of the administration were questioning whether people should follow basic best practices like wearing face masks, "said Zuckerberg.
The United States faces new records of coronavirus infections every day. Although many other countries have struggled to contain the disease, the trajectory of infections in the United States is at a very high level.
"This government and our administration have been considerably less effective in handling this," said Zuckerberg.
Fauci explained that some states opened their economies too quickly and skipped their own guidelines for reopening, ignoring expert advice. He noted that other states adequately followed protocols to reopen safely, but some citizens "went from confinement to not worrying about risks." And Fauci said the United States as a whole never allowed coronavirus infections to drop to a reasonable baseline, allowing infections to get out of control again.
"That's a recipe for getting into trouble," said Fauci.
- READ: A woman with a coronavirus in Florida went from being diagnosed to dying in her daughter's arms in a matter of days
Zuckerberg praised Fauci, who has been criticized (publicly and unofficially) by the Trump administration for his leadership in responding to the pandemic. But Zuckerberg said Fauci left out of his explanation for the coronavirus return the active ignorance of the government and directives to disobey the best advice of scientists.
"You can be quite generous in your description of the government response," said Zuckerberg.
USA: debate on reopening 2:11Zuckerberg's criticism of the Trump administration is particularly notable because he has been widely censured for being kind to the president. Facebook, for example, has refused to remove or label Trump's controversial, hateful, misleading or false statements, which Zuckerberg says remain important to public discourse.
- MIRA: Should Facebook regulate content within its platform?
After Trump posted "When the looting begins, the shooting begins," Twitter said the post violated its rules, but Facebook did not do the same. That prompted more than 140 scientists who have received funding and support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative - the nonprofit project of Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan - to write an open letter to the CEO urging him to " consider stricter policies on disinformation and inflammatory language. "
Zuckerberg's decision to leave Trump's posts has also sparked reaction from many of the company's own workers. Last month, some Facebook employees staged a virtual strike over inaction.
An employee even quit his job in June, telling CNN Business that he was concerned that Facebook would be used to further increase violence in the United States.
Why is Facebook facing a boycott? 1:31In response, Zuckerberg and Chan said in June that they were "disgusted" by Trump's comments on national protests against racial injustice.
Anthony Fauci Donald Trump Mark Zuckerberg
