{"id":820376,"date":"2025-01-16T10:12:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T16:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/16\/whos-next-misinformation-online-threats-after-us-healthcare-ceo-slaying\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T10:12:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T16:12:02","slug":"whos-next-misinformation-online-threats-after-us-healthcare-ceo-slaying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/16\/whos-next-misinformation-online-threats-after-us-healthcare-ceo-slaying\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Who\u2019s next?\u2019: Misinformation, online threats after US healthcare CEO slaying"},"content":{"rendered":"<section>\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2013 A murder of a US healthcare boss has sparked a torrent of online misinformation and calls for violence against other executives, suggesting a failure of social media moderation that analysts fear could translate into real-world harms.<\/p>\n<p>The posts, allowed to spread unfettered across tech platforms, came in the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/world\/united-states\/top-us-executive-shot-dead-in-new-york-city-say-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson<\/a> in New York on Dec 4 and laid bare a Wild West internet landscape that is largely bereft of guard rails.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs much disagreement as there is about what content, if any, should be moderated, at the top of most peoples\u2019 list would be \u2018explicit threats of violence\u2019,\u201d said Dr Jonathan Nagler, co-director of New York University\u2019s Centre for Social Media and Politics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, seeing posts on social media that explicitly encourage violence against anyone, including CEOs of health insurance firms, suggests that content moderation has failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Further exemplifying that failure, disinformation security company Cyabra identified hundreds of accounts across the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X and Meta-owned Facebook that spread a host of conspiracy theories related to the murder.<\/p>\n<p>They included the unfounded claim that Mr Thompson\u2019s wife was involved in the killing, as the couple was experiencing relationship issues.<\/p>\n<p>Other posts baselessly claimed that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was behind the murder.<\/p>\n<p>Many of these narratives were amplified by prominent influencers on X such as conservative commenter Matt Wallace, with some of them garnering hundreds of millions of views, Cyabra said.<\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Unchecked hate\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In another falsehood identified by misinformation watchdog NewsGuard, a video swirling online purportedly showed Mr Thompson admitting that he had worked with Mrs Pelosi.  <\/p>\n<p>But it was an old video from 2012, and the man was another Brian Thompson, who was forced to clarify on X that he was not the UnitedHealthcare CEO.<\/p>\n<p>In a validation of the old axiom that a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes, his X post drew only around 150 views while the posts advancing the false claim garnered hundreds of thousands views.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BYpWD7NcRLI?enablejsapi=1\" allowfullscreen allow=\"accelerometer; ; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\" loading=\"eager\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Mr Thompson\u2019s murder has unleashed pent-up anger towards the nation\u2019s health insurance companies, which patients and advocacy groups say fail to provide affordable care.\n<\/p>\n<p>Many comments taking aim at the medical system quickly spiralled into targeted threats against high-profile CEOs. <\/p>\n<p>Hashtags such as \u201cCEO Assassin\u201d gained traction, and multiple posts aimed at health insurance providers brazenly asked: \u201cWho\u2019s next after Brian Thompson?\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>One post targeting insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield said: \u201cLet your CEO know&#8230; you\u2019re next!!!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar posts took aim at Humana\u2019s CEO Jim Rechtin and Mr Andrew Witty from UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of Mr Thompson\u2019s firm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe danger here is clear: Unchecked hate and disinformation online have the potential to spill over into real-world violence,\u201d said Cyabra CEO Dan Brahmy.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. via UnitedHealth Group\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/dbbd4efee97160af1727e042d93562a4cb35faf4987fda273fc54ed9751fbebb\"><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot just before 7am at a hotel in the Midtown district of Manhattan.<span>PHOTO: REUTERS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Alarming power\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The companies did not respond when asked how they were dealing with the threats ricocheting online.<\/p>\n<p>With the elevated risk, US corporations are increasing security personnel at offices and residences of senior executives, many of whom have been asked to delete their digital footprints, US media reported.\n<\/p>\n<p>Ivy League graduate Luigi Mangione, who is accused of Mr Thompson\u2019s murder, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/world\/united-states\/some-on-social-media-see-suspect-in-killing-of-health-insurance-ceo-as-a-folk-hero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has been widely lionised<\/a> online. <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 19: People demonstrating against the healthcare industry stand outside Federal Criminal Court as Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appears during an arraignment hearing on December 19, 2024 in New York City. According to a criminal complaint unsealed today, Mangione faces four federal counts including charges of murder through use of a firearm, stalking and a firearms offense in addition to a separate 11-count indictment brought on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. including charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism.   John Lamparski\/Getty Images\/AFP (Photo by John Lamparski \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ Getty Images via AFP)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes src=\"https:\/\/cassette.sphdigital.com.sg\/image\/straitstimes\/f3237beb0c8e811aa6a50056436672f14cc64944a10b4101fdda869e867eba3f\"><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>Demonstrators outside a court as Luigi Mangione, accused of killing Mr Brian Thompson, appears during an arraignment hearing on Dec 19.<span>PHOTO: AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mr Brahmy said this demonstrated the \u201calarming power of unmoderated social media\u201d to amplify violent narratives.\n<\/p>\n<p>Social media content moderation has emerged as a political lightning rod in the United States, with many conservatives calling it \u201ccensorship\u201d under the guise of fighting misinformation.\n<\/p>\n<p>Platforms such as X have gutted trust and safety teams and scaled back moderation, making it what researchers call a hotbed for misinformation and hate.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs platforms grapple with moderation challenges, it\u2019s imperative for companies, governments and users alike to remain vigilant against the disproportionate influence of bad actors, who exploit social tensions to manipulate public perceptions and conversations,\u201d Mr Brahmy said. AFP<\/p>\n<p>Join\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/TheStraitsTimes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">ST&#8217;s Telegram channel<\/a>\u00a0and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/world\/united-states\/whos-next-misinformation-and-online-threats-after-us-ceo-slaying\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2013 A murder of a US healthcare boss has sparked a torrent of online misinformation and calls for violence against other executives, suggesting a failure of social media moderation that analysts fear could translate into real-world harms. The posts, allowed to spread unfettered across tech platforms, came in the wake of the shooting of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":820377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24889,23756],"tags":[5504,11071],"class_list":{"0":"post-820376","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-misinformation","8":"category-whos","9":"tag-misinformation","10":"tag-whos"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=820376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=820376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}