According to Twitter, it no longer enforces its rules against spreading false information regarding coronavirus.
On Wednesday, November 23, the firm stopped taking action against tweets that violated its Covid regulations, according to the company’s website.
As of September this year, Twitter had already acknowledged suspending more than 11,000 accounts for spreading false information about Covid.
Without a corresponding notification stating that they will no longer be enforced, Twitter’s other policies regarding incorrect information are still available on the website.
According to Twitter’s Covid-specific policy, accounts that posted “demonstrably false or misleading” content that could “lead to a significant risk of harm,” like exposure to Covid or harm to public health systems, were subject to a “five-strike system.”
There would be no repercussions for accounts that tweeted false information once. Repeat offenders, however, may have their accounts suspended for a few hours, days, or even permanently if they receive five strikes against them.
Dr. Stephen Griffin of The University of Leeds School of Medicine says that even though the Covid reporting system on Twitter was never perfect, it was comforting to know that thousands of accounts spreading misinformation had been deleted since 2020.
“Amnesty starts”
Some of those who broke the rules are now revisiting the website.
For instance, Twitter has unbanned Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account after it was suspended in January.
Following a Twitter poll in which millions of users voted to restore suspended accounts, CEO Elon Musk tweeted: “The people have spoken… amnesty begins next week.”
Following his $44 billion (£37 billion) acquisition, the CEO of Tesla has vowed to turn Twitter into a focal point for online free speech.
