The spread of coronavirus disinformation is life-threatening, and it continues DAILY! These disinformation campaigns generate panic and sow distrust -- they must be dealt with quickly. Fake news articles, fake social media messages, and viral videos continue to be shared at alarming and hysterical rates.

Many of these conspiracy theories are also shared over podcasts unchecked, and platforms like Spotify continue to permit these life-threatening lies.

Vaccines will protect people against the coronavirus for long periods and have significantly reduced the spread of COVID-19. And yet, at a time when close to 40 percent of Americans are not fully vaccinated, platforms like Spotify have done little to rein in what radio hosts and podcasters say about the virus and vaccination efforts.

Joe Rogan, for example, has been platforming misinformation about COVID-19 on his Spotify-hosted podcast to his nearly 11 million listeners per episode, downplaying the effects of the virus, inviting guests to promote unproven treatments like Ivermectin, and dismissing the importance of the vaccine.

We must demand that these disinformation stories, messages, and campaigns are flagged and removed immediately and not further promoted. Spotify has the responsibility to step in and literally save lives. They must remove disinformation-touting podcasts and check dangerous speech.