Twitter will crack down on content that calls into question the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, including tweets that reject “social distancing.”
Since late January, the social media platform has been trying to promote authoritative health information about the ongoing pandemic. But on Wednesday, the company said it was also going to combat misinformation about the coronavirus, citing the need “to keep people safe on Twitter.”
The banned content will include tweets that try to deny global health recommendations on preventing the coronavirus’s spread. For instance, the company plans on removing any tweets that claim “social distancing is not effective.”
Tweets that call out the coronavirus as a hoax, or question the citywide lockdowns trying to stop the pandemic will also get removed. This can include “coronavirus is a fraud and not real — go out and patronize your local bar!!” and “ignore news about COVID-19, it’s just an attempt to destroy capitalism by crashing the stock market.” According to Twitter, the content is problematic because it can end up manipulating people to benefit a third party.
In addition, the company is cracking down on tweets that try to offer health advice about the illness’s nature without citing scientific evidence. So comments like “COVID-19 does not infect children because we haven’t seen any cases of children being sick” or “if you can hold your breath for 10 seconds, you do not have coronavirus” will not be allowed either.
On top of all this, Twitter will be removing tweets that spread outrageous falsehoods regarding the coronavirus, like how drinking bleach can kill the virus. Unverified claims that risk inciting mass panic, like tweets about food shortages, will also get deleted.
Free speech advocates will not be happy with the policy. But Twitter says it wants to ensure the authoritative information about the coronavirus is reaching the public. As of today, more than 10,000 people in the US are infected with the illness. “We’re encouraged that our service is being used around the world to provide free, authoritative health information,” Twitter VP Matt Derella wrote in the announcement.
The new policy arrives days after Twitter joined with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Reddit in vowing to combat fraud and misinformation related to the outbreak. In Facebook’s case, the company on Wednesday launched a new “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Center” that’ll be featured on the top of the Facebook News Feed so users can get the latest information on the pandemic.
Further Reading
- WhatsApp Launches Coronavirus Hub to Provide Reliable Information
- Facebook Bug Marks Legitimate Coronavirus Content as Spam
- UK Health Service Taps Web Giants to Help Fight Coronavirus Fake News
- Jack Dorsey to Keep His Job as Twitter's CEO
- More in Social Media