The new Twitter of Elon Musk will not continue to fight misinformation about the Covid-19. This has been recognized by the social network in a publication through its blog announcing that the moderation measures adopted in the heat of the pandemic, nearly three years ago, ceased to be effective a few days ago.
“As of November 23, 2022, Twitter no longer applies the COVID-19 misleading information policy,” the social network has stated in a brief note shared in the same publication in which he reported on the measures he had put in place to moderate this type of content.
ABC has contacted the social network to ask the reason for the removal of this policy. As always for weeks, from the platform No clarification has been sought in this regard..
Before Musk’s arrival on the app, Twitter, like many other social networks, adopted new rules aimed at controlling misinformation about the virus and directing users to trusted content.
During the time that the virus policies were in effect, the little bird app removed 100,000 posts seeking to misinform about Covid and blocked 11,000 accounts. Accounts that will probably be recovered soon by their users thanks to the amnesty recently announced by Musk himself.
As ‘CNN’, the first medium to report the news, points out, the new owner of Twitter, at the beginning of 2020, already tested the policies on Covid established by the social network, which at that time was still directed by its co-founder, Jack Dorsey. Then, questioned the real risk of the health crisis, between many other things. “Coronavirus panic is stupid,” she went on to share in a tweet.
The coronavirus panic is dumb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2020
The tycoon was also against the social distancing policies for virus control on numerous occasions. “I would call it ‘forcibly imprisoning people in their homes’ against all their constitutional rights, in my opinion, and breaking people’s freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong,” the executive said in a chat with Tesla investors in April 2020.
It should be remembered that, since Musk took control of the application, and even before, he has guaranteed that on his Twitter Anyone can express their thoughts as long as they do not break the law. The soft hand when it comes to content moderation and the persecution of misinformation has caused many companies to give up advertising in the application. Something that is having a harsh effect on the platform’s accounts, as acknowledged by the executive himself, who continues to work to make the tool profitable.
To do this, Musk wants to convince users to pay for the subscription to the premium service. Twitter Blue, which, for a cost of eight dollars, allows the user to access functionalities that are not available in a generic way. Among them, the controversial verification sign, which should go back into operation next Friday, December 2.