Social networks spent weeks working for try to avoid the spread of false news about the coronavirusbecause the information is true, verified and official it is crucial when going through a crisis of whatever kind.
Twitter has announced that will take strong action against the content that it puts in doubt the seriousness of this situationsomething that we saw (in many countries) in the past few weeks.
For instance, Twitter claims that it is not allowed post tweets that reject the “social distancing”. The platform has taken these measures because they claim that it is necessary to “keep people safe on Twitter”.
Update: we’re expanding our safety rules to include content that could place people at a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19.
Now, we will require people to remove Tweets that include the following:
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) March 18, 2020
As we can see in the tweet posted a few hours ago by @TwitterSafety, ask all users to delete the tweets published with content that can increase the chances of someone to catch:
- To deny the guidance of experts
- Encourage use of treatments, preventions and diagnostic techniques that are false or ineffective
- Content that is misleading that supposedly comes from the hand of authorities or experts
Among the misleading claims collected by Twitter about the coronavirus, there are some that in these moments may leave us somewhat bewildered: “if you can hold your breath for 10 seconds, you don’t have the coronavirus,” or that “asians are more susceptible to COVID-19”.
Twitter will not delete a tweet from Musk that seems to violate these rules
Elon Musk is back in the eye of a hurricane of controversy, after having published a tweet in which ensures that the children are “essentially immune” to COVID-19, despite the fact that there are studies that point that can make you very sick.
Kids are essentially immune, but elderly with existing conditions are vulnerable. Family gatherings with close contact between kids & grandparents probably most risky.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 19, 2020
Although in the second part of the tweet Musk says it can be dangerous for those children who live with people at risk (a danger that is real), in the first sentence of his tweet seems to be in disagreement with the policies of Twitter.
Ironically, Twitter has pointed out to The Verge that this tweet is not in breach of the rules”. If that weren’t enough, this week released an entry in the company blog on the new rules, and this was one of the examples chosen:
“The denial of the scientific facts established on the transmission during the incubation period or the orientation of transmission from the health authorities, global and local, as “COVID-19 does not infect the children because we have not seen any case of sick children””.
it was originally published in
Engadget
by
Santi Araujo
.
