President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up after returning to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday both took action against a post from President Donald Trump that falsely suggested the seasonal flu was more deadly than COVID-19. Facebook removed the post, while Twitter hid the post behind a warning message that says it violated the site’s rules “about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.” Twitter said it may be in the public’s interest for the tweet to remain accessible but that engagements would be significantly limited.
Facebook and Twitter both have rules against coronavirus misinformation that could lead to harm, such as claiming a certain group is immune or promoting unproven cures such as drinking bleach. Facebook has been under fire for not sending posts from politicians to fact-checkers. Politicians, though, aren’t exempted from the social network’s rules against coronavirus misinformation.
In August, Facebook and Twitter pulled down videos posted on Trump’s accounts for spreading harmful coronavirus misinformation.
Facebook and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
More to come.
