Toni Dimaano Tech 11.29.2022 21:Nov PM EST

Twitter Removes Its COVID-19 Misinformation Policy

Twitter is no longer enforcing its policy against misleading COVID-19 information on the platform, as per a new update on its website on November 23.

According to CNN Business, this step shows how Elon Musk plans to go about with the future of the social media company with regard to its contents.

The Social Network Quietly Rolled Back The Policy In An Update

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Twitter developed an extensive set of guidelines that prohibit the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus and the vaccines.

With this, from January 2020 to September 2022, the platform suspended over 11,000 users for breaking the rules.

It also removed around 100,000 pieces of content related to COVID-19 misinformation as punishment for the violation of rules, according to statistics presented by Twitter.

However, in a recent development, the company ended its long-running effort to combat this problem by ending the enforcement of the said policy, at least for now.

Twitter did not formally announce the change, but, instead, some users said that a note was added to the platform's website regarding the COVID-19 policy.

Engadget writes that with the recent reinstatement of many banned accounts, this adjustment might mean that users will not be suspended should they break the coronavirus misinformation rules.

The company, which has dissolved its communication team, did not give any comment on the issue, but it is important to note how Musk has always had an opinion about COVID-19.

In 2020, the CEO used Twitter to downplay the effects of the pandemic, where he expressed his frustrations about how it was handled.

Additionally, he kept urging to end the lockdown and social distancing policies, and his company Tesla even defied early pandemic orders by keeping factories open.

The billionaire also said that the stay-at-home orders were forcibly imprisoning people against their Constitutional rights from which America was built on.

Lastly, while the billionaire believes that COVID-19 vaccines should be rolled out, the CEO believes that the shots should not be mandated, Engadget reports.

Musk's Commitment To Free Speech Led To Policy Changes On Twitter

As a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist," the new Twitter chief has committed himself to make sure that Twitter users can exercise their freedom of expression.

However, safety experts have contended his approach towards this goal as the policy changes he implemented recently only led to a surge in hate speech, harassment, and misinformation.

With the fiasco caused by the paid verification feature that Musk insisted on, a number of trolls caused the cases of sexual harassment and racism to rise on the platform.

Multiple civil rights groups also urged advertisers to pull out their advertising on the social media site following the layoff of thousands of Twitter staff, some of which fired for contradicting Musk.

CNN Business says that the recent steps the Twitter chief have taken impede the growth of the company, including its ability to moderate content that might be problematic.