Twitter said Wednesday it is enacting new policies to crack down on misleading information about the coronavirus vaccines.
While Twitter has already torn down content it deems misleading about the coronavirus’ spread and on how to prevent its spread, Twitter’s new policy is specifically focused on content it deems misleading info about vaccines.
“Starting next week, we will prioritize the removal of the most harmful misleading information, and during the coming weeks, begin to label Tweets that contain potentially misleading information about the vaccines,” said Twitter in a post on its blog.
“In the context of a global pandemic, vaccine misinformation presents a significant and growing public health challenge—and we all have a role to play. We are focused on mitigating misleading information that presents the biggest potential harm to people’s health and wellbeing.”
Twitter also said starting in early 2021 it will place warning labels on Tweets about vaccines that include rumors, disputed claims, or information that Twitter believes is incomplete or out-of-context.
The initial policy shift will take effect on December 21, and Twitter said it will be enforced through a “combination of technology and human review.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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