Axios PM — Crackdown on vaccine misinformation — Stunning graphic: Big Tech gets bigger

1 big thing: Facebook targets anti-vaxxers | Monday, February 08, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Morgan Stanley   Axios PM By Mike Allen ·Feb 08, 2021 Good afternoon: Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 385 words, a 2-minute read. ⚡️ Tesla bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin and will begin accepting the cryptocurrency as payment for products. Go deeper.     1 big thing: Facebook targets anti-vaxxers Photo illustration: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images   Facebook is about to use its election disinformation playbook against vaccine misinformation, Axios' Margaret Harding McGill and Sara Fischer report. Why it matters: It's a partial reversal for Mark Zuckerberg, who said in September that the company wouldn't target anti-vaccination posts the same way it has aggressively cracked down on COVID misinformation. Now the company is doing four things to crack down on COVID/vaccine posts: Removing misleading posts and pages: Posts of debunked claims about the vaccines face removal, as do groups, pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram that repeatedly share debunked claims. Returning validated vaccine info when users search on debunked claims. Adding resources on how to get vaccinated. Giving $120 million in ad credits to help health agencies, nonprofits and UN agencies reach billions of people. Between the lines: Facebook provided a lengthy list of false claims that can get posts or pages removed, including: "[T]he COVID vaccine will kill you" ... "the COVID vaccine contains a microchip" ... "the COVID vaccine provides no immunity" ... "the COVID vaccine causes autism!"     2. Stunning graphic: Big Tech gets bigger Source: FactSet. Graphic: Kara Dapena/The Wall Street Journal. Used by kind permission The pandemic has made tech-industry titans — some of the largest companies in history — much bigger, The Wall Street Journal calculates (subscription): Over the past year, the combined revenue of the five biggest U.S. tech companies grew by a fifth (to $1.1 trillion), their aggregate profit rose by 24%, and their combined market cap soared by half (to $8 trillion).     A message from Morgan Stanley 7 ideas that could add alpha in 2021     From online advertising growth to Europe's value rally, Morgan Stanley identified dozens of debates where the firm's views diverge from market consensus. Here are seven themes that could shape industries and drive asset prices in the year ahead.     3. Catch up quick Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady's wife, celebrates with their kids, Vivian and Benjamin. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images   CBO analysis: The $15 federal minimum wage bill proposed by Democrats would cut jobs for 1.4 million workers by 2025 and lift 900,000 out of poverty. Go deeper. Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas), 67, became the first member of Congress to die from COVID. 🎧 Axios Re:Cap goes deeper into Clubhouse, with Katie Stanton, an early Clubhouse investor whose résumé includes time at Twitter, Google and the Obama White House. Listen here.     4. 1 smile to go: Female coaches win Super Bowl Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Maral Javadifar works with defensive end Ndamukong Suh in 2019. Photo: Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images   The Tampa Bay Bucs' Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust were the first female coaches for a team that won the Super Bowl, AP notes. Javadifar is an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and Locust is an assistant defensive line coach. The bottom line: "If you can teach, you can coach," head coach Bruce Arians said last week. "As far as the women, it was time. It was time for that door to be knocked down and allow them because they've been putting in time, and they're very, very qualified."     A message from Morgan Stanley 7 ideas that could add alpha in 2021     From online advertising growth to Europe's value rally, Morgan Stanley identified dozens of debates where the firm's views diverge from market consensus. Here are seven themes that could shape industries and drive asset prices in the year ahead.     Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: