ReutersMar 02, 2021 02:15:14 AM
By Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) – Twitter said it would apply warnings to tweets containing misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines and implement an enforcement strike system that could permanently ban users for repeated violations.
The social media network began promoting public health information before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. It was also aimed at removing evidence of false or misleading content about the virus that was at the highest risk of causing harm.
Since the introduction of the COVID-19 guidelines, more than 8,400 tweets have been removed and 11.5 million accounts disputed.
As more people seek authoritative public health information about vaccines as programs roll out around the world, it is said that doing so would expand the guidance.
Katy Minshall, Twitter’s UK Policy Leader, said the company recognized the role it played in providing credible public health information to people.
“We continue to work with health authorities around the world – including the UK Health Service (NHS) – to ensure high visibility access to trusted and accurate public health information on our service, including information on COVID-19 vaccines.” she told Reuters.
“Today we will be tagging tweets that may contain misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines, in addition to our continued efforts to get the most damaging, misleading COVID-19 information off the service.”
She said the approach builds on existing work to avoid false claims about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccination.
Vaccines are at the heart of government plans to tackle the pandemic, which has caused more than 2.6 million deaths to date.
However, there were concerns that public distrust of the gunfire could jeopardize the success of vaccination programs.
Surveys and data show a different willingness to be accepted depending on the country and population group.
In the UK, where more than a third of adults have received at least one vaccine, authorities are working to overcome the reluctance of some ethnic groups.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
This story was not edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by automatic feed.
