Facebook deletes post from Donald Trump for 'spreading misinformation about coronavirus'
Barbara Ortutay
August 06 2020
Facebook has deleted a post by US President Donald Trump for the first time, saying it violated its policy against spreading misinformation about coronavirus.
The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Mr Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus.
Facebook said the “video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation”.
A few hours later, Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump campaign from tweeting from its account until it removed a post with the same video.
The company said in a statement late on Wednesday the tweet violated its rules against Covid misinformation. When a tweet breaks its rules, Twitter asks users to remove the tweet in questions and bans them from posting anything else until they do.
The removal of the post is a change of tack for Facebook, which has previously opted to label – rather than delete – misleading statements.
Several studies suggest, but do not prove, that children are less likely to become infected than adults and more likely to have only mild symptoms.
But this is not the same as being “virtually immune” to the virus
A Centres for Disease Control and Prevention study involving 2,500 children published in April found that about one in five infected children were hospitalised compared to one in three adults.
ASYMPTOMATIC CHILD CARRIERS
The study lacks complete data on all the cases, but it also suggests that many infected children have no symptoms, which could allow them to spread the virus to others.
PA Media
Barbara Ortutay
August 06 2020
Facebook has deleted a post by US President Donald Trump for the first time, saying it violated its policy against spreading misinformation about coronavirus.
The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Mr Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus.
Facebook said the “video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation”.
A few hours later, Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump campaign from tweeting from its account until it removed a post with the same video.
The company said in a statement late on Wednesday the tweet violated its rules against Covid misinformation. When a tweet breaks its rules, Twitter asks users to remove the tweet in questions and bans them from posting anything else until they do.
The removal of the post is a change of tack for Facebook, which has previously opted to label – rather than delete – misleading statements.
Several studies suggest, but do not prove, that children are less likely to become infected than adults and more likely to have only mild symptoms.
But this is not the same as being “virtually immune” to the virus
A Centres for Disease Control and Prevention study involving 2,500 children published in April found that about one in five infected children were hospitalised compared to one in three adults.
ASYMPTOMATIC CHILD CARRIERS
The study lacks complete data on all the cases, but it also suggests that many infected children have no symptoms, which could allow them to spread the virus to others.
PA Media
Twitter bans Donald Trump’s presidential campaign over coronavirus fake news
Poppy Wood Thursday 6 August 2020
Poppy Wood Thursday 6 August 2020
Twitter last night banned Donald Trump’s presidential campaign from tweeting until it agreed to remove a video spouting fake news about coronavirus.
In the most sweeping action taken by the social media platform in its 14-year history, Twitter last night temporarily froze the President’s Team Trump campaign account after it was found to breach company policy about misinformation.
Read more: Donald Trump questions accuracy of South Korean coronavirus stats
Team Trump posted a video from a TV interview in which the President claimed children are “almost immune” from coronavirus.
In reality, initial research has shown that children spread the virus as easily as adults, while many have died from the disease.
A spokesperson for Twitter said the Team Trump tweet “is in violation of the Twitter Rules on Covid-19 misinformation”.
In the first action of its kind against the President, Facebook also removed the offending video from its platform.
A Facebook spokesperson said: “This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation.”
It comes as both Twitter and Facebook have heavily censored claims about coronavirus that contradict advice from health authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) during the pandemic.
Both companies have argued that such posts require significant policing because they pose a clear risk of real-world harm.
However, the moves mark a turning point for the social media platforms, which have historically proven reluctant to censor content on their sites.
Read more: Twitter faces $250m fine after US data probe
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly said he does not want Facebook to be the “arbiter of truth”, has recently had to grapple with wide-scale advertising boycotts over the platform’s content policy.
Twitter, meanwhile, has long been associated with the President, with many claiming Trump’s use of the platform proved vital for his presidential campaign success in 2016.
In the most sweeping action taken by the social media platform in its 14-year history, Twitter last night temporarily froze the President’s Team Trump campaign account after it was found to breach company policy about misinformation.
Read more: Donald Trump questions accuracy of South Korean coronavirus stats
Team Trump posted a video from a TV interview in which the President claimed children are “almost immune” from coronavirus.
In reality, initial research has shown that children spread the virus as easily as adults, while many have died from the disease.
A spokesperson for Twitter said the Team Trump tweet “is in violation of the Twitter Rules on Covid-19 misinformation”.
In the first action of its kind against the President, Facebook also removed the offending video from its platform.
A Facebook spokesperson said: “This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation.”
It comes as both Twitter and Facebook have heavily censored claims about coronavirus that contradict advice from health authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) during the pandemic.
Both companies have argued that such posts require significant policing because they pose a clear risk of real-world harm.
However, the moves mark a turning point for the social media platforms, which have historically proven reluctant to censor content on their sites.
Read more: Twitter faces $250m fine after US data probe
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly said he does not want Facebook to be the “arbiter of truth”, has recently had to grapple with wide-scale advertising boycotts over the platform’s content policy.
Twitter, meanwhile, has long been associated with the President, with many claiming Trump’s use of the platform proved vital for his presidential campaign success in 2016.
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