The surgeon general of the United States is calling on Big Tech to crack down on so-called COVID-19 misinformation, in a report released on the same day the White House acknowledged flagging posts for Facebook. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told reporters in Washington that he targeted social media misinformation with his first advisory because it “poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health.” In the advisory (pdf), Murthy’s office says technology platforms can redesign recommendation algorithms to avoid “amplifying misinformation,” hire more people to police content, and boost messaging from “trusted messengers and subject matter experts.” Misinformation is defined by health officials as information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence. Officials worry that misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and other COVID-19 topics are undercutting the U.S. response to the pandemic and preventing some Americans from getting a vaccine. “As Surgeon General, my job is to …