London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Twitter ends COVID-19 “misinformation” policy

Twitter ends COVID-19 “misinformation” policy

"Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy," the company stated on its transparency page for coronavirus misinformation. Additionally, the COVID-19 policy is no longer listed on Twitter's, "How we address misinformation on Twitter" explainer, and the URL for the misinformation policy now redirects to Twitter's Help Center.
On the same day Twitter stopped enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy, Musk posted a poll asking his followers if Twitter should offer "general amnesty to suspended accounts" under certain conditions. After more than 3 million people responded, with 72.4% in the affirmative, the billionaire announced "Amnesty begins next week." 

Twitter introduced its COVID-19 misinformation policy in March 2020, announcing that posts contradicting "authoritative sources" on the virus would be taken down. The policy was later expanded to prioritize the "removal of the most harmful, misleading information" about COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Twitter, 11,230 accounts have been suspended for violating the rules against COVID-19 misinformation. More than 11.72 million accounts were challenged under the policy and 97,674 pieces of content worldwide were removed as of September 2022. 

Social media content moderation policies have faced scrutiny from lawmakers as the tech industry has sought to balance combating harmful misinformation with free speech. Lawmakers have weighed in, with Democrats generally calling for greater censorship of posts deemed to spread misinformation and Republicans investigating how the government worked alongside social media platforms to censor and suppress posts about COVID-19. 

In September, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry accused the Biden administration of pressuring Facebook and Twitter to censor certain posts and demanded that the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services turn over communications the government had with those platforms. 

Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist," has promised to publish a report that would reveal how and why Twitter suppressed certain accounts. The billionaire CEO has previously stated revealing internal discussions about how Twitter enforced its policies is "necessary to restore public trust." 

"The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself," Musk tweeted Monday. "The public deserves to know what really happened…" 

Critics, particularly those on the right, have long criticized the platform for what they regard as unfair and obscure standards regarding which accounts are censored or suspended. 

The tech giant permanently banned former President Trump from the platform in 2021, blocked the New York Post’s story in 2020 on Hunter Biden’s notorious laptop, and locked conservative satire site The Babylon Bee out of its Twitter account in March for awarding transgender Biden administration official Rachel Levine a fictious "Man of the Year" award. 

Twitter had also banned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Dr. Robert Malone, a contributor to mRNA vaccine technology, and former New York Times journalist and author Alex Berenson under its COVID-19 policies.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×