Facebook and Twitter have both removed videos of a Trump appearance on the cable show Fox and Friends, for what they claim is a violation of their “misinformation” policies. The posts removed were made by Trump himself and it’s not yet clear whether the two platforms have taken any action against posts shared by other users.
Fox News explains:
Facebook and Twitter are both taking action after a video shared by President Trump they say contains misinformation about the coronavirus.
“This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation,” Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois told Fox News in a statement.
In the removed video, the president told Fox & Friends that schools should remain open.”My view is that schools should be open,” Trump said. “If you look at children, children are almost — and I would almost say definitely — but almost immune from this disease.”He added that children have “much stronger immune systems” and “just don’t have a problem.”According to Facebook, this is the first time the social media platform has taken down a post from the president regarding misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.It was not immediately clear if all posts containing the video have been removed.
The icing on the cake comes from Twitter, who has hired as their Communications spox, Kamala Harris’ former Press Secretary. I’m sure he’s totally unbiased and neutral when it comes to these things.
Really though:
This is a problem. A major problem. It has been for a long time, but there is no longer any denying that major tech platforms are attempting to edge their way into the ultimate arbiters of “valid” or “right” information. They’re no longer platforms. They’re publishers and they should be treated as such.
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