Twitter will crack down on tweets about fake coronavirus treatments and misinformation
- Twitter has said it will clamp down on content that increases people's chances of contracting or transmitting the coronavirus.
- In a blog post, the company said it will require users to remove tweets that deny expert guidance, encourage the use of fake treatments, or contain misleading content purporting to be from experts.
- Twitter has made working from home compulsory for all its staff, and is paying standard hourly rates to staff unable to work from home.
- Facebook and other social media platforms have introduced similar measures aimed at tackling misinformation about COVID-19.
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Twitter is the latest firm to join the global fight against coronavirus misinformation.
In a Wednesday update to its wide-ranging blog post on managing the coronavirus, Twitter said it will require users to remove content that increases the chance that someone contracts or transmits the virus.
This includes the denial of expert guidance; encouragement to use fake or ineffective treatments, preventions, and diagnostic techniques; and misleading content purporting to be from experts or authorities.
For example, it said, people who send tweets that claim social distancing is ineffective - or which encourage people not to practice social distancing - will need to remove those tweets.
The social media firm has made working from home compulsory for all its staff, while it pays standard hourly rates to staff unable to work from home.
In addition, it has made all job interviews video-only - a move also taken by numerous tech firms including mobile payments giant Square, which is led by Twitter's CEO Jack Dorsey.
Twitter's updated misinformation policy forms part of a broader movement among social media platforms to restrict coronavirus-related misinformation.
In a blog post of its own last updated Wednesday, Facebook said it would start to remove content containing "false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations and local health authorities that could cause harm to people who believe them.'