Twitter Will Update their Privacy Rules

Malak Zamzam

Technology

17th December 2020

Twitter may alarm tweets(Getty).

The Claim

Twitter will start banning tweets that spread misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines.

News posted on

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Emerging story

After Twitter added a feature of alarming fake news during the USA elections, news started circulating that Twitter will extend its combat against harmful and misleading news. In December 2020, Twitter reported they will not allow the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.

Misbar’s Analysis

Twitter posted a blog in December 2020, explaining in detail how it stepped up its approach to fighting fake news. Twitter updated its terms of information related to COVID-19.

Twitter considers that it has a considerable role in the fight against misleading and harmful news regarding the virus and the vaccine. In March 2020, it started an initiative to ban the spread of fake news. In a thread, they explained the procedures they took to help readers meet authoritative content information about COVID-19. They also updated a policy that requires the removal of false and misleading information about the virus.

In the recent blog, they explained that Twitter is expanding the policy and may require the removal of “Tweets which advance harmful false or misleading narratives about COVID-19 vaccinations, including:

False claims that suggest immunizations and vaccines are used to intentionally cause harm to or control populations, including statements about vaccines that invoke a deliberate conspiracy;
False claims which have been widely debunked about the adverse impacts or effects of receiving vaccinations; or
False claims that COVID-19 is not real or not serious, and therefore that vaccinations are unnecessary.”

And starting early 2021, Twitter may also label or alarm tweets that argue unsubstantiated rumors, claims, and incomplete or out of context information about vaccines.