Twitter has temporarily limited the account of President donald.trump jr twitter eldest son after he posted content that violated company policy. The social media platform restricted some of his functionality for a 12-hour period.
The decision comes after a video was posted online on Monday that contained misleading and inaccurate information about the coronavirus, a deadly virus that affects the eye. The post also promoted hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that has been used to treat the virus, even though medical studies show it’s ineffective.
Trump’s son’s Twitter account suspended
donald.trump jr twitter suspended President Trump’s son’s account on Tuesday after he shared a video making false claims about the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment. It also limited some of his account’s features, according to a company spokesperson.
The account was suspended because the tweet violated Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. The tweet linked to a video of a press conference, disseminated by the right-wing media outlet Breitbart News, that featured doctors who said people “don’t need masks” to prevent coronavirus spread and promoted giving the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to patients with the disease.
It’s the latest escalation in a fight over free speech on big tech. In the past, Twitter and Facebook have defended their role as defenders of free speech, arguing that they wouldn’t touch accounts that might violate their policies because they were in the public interest.
Twitter Permanently
On Friday, however, Twitter permanently suspended Mr. Trump’s account for a series of incendiary tweets that it says violated its policies on civic integrity and violence. The social media platform said the president’s tweets condoned Wednesday’s violence and encouraged a new wave of protests that could stoke further violence on January 20.
The move is the first time Twitter has banned a world leader, and it follows a long-running debate over how to moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders. It also silences one of the most effective tools for Trump to communicate directly with the American people.
Trump’s son’s Twitter account limited
Twitter has limited the tweeting abilities of Donald Trump’s son for 12 hours. The social media site said Tuesday that he broke its COVID-19 misinformation policies after sharing a video that contained false claims about the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and questioned the need for masks.
Viral Online Monday
The video was posted by a right-wing news outlet and went viral online Monday. It allegedly featured doctors promoting the drug and discounting the need for face masks as a way to fight the coronavirus, which is circulating worldwide.
After the video went viral, Twitter removed it. Facebook and YouTube also pulled it.
In the video, a Houston doctor calls studies that question the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure “fake science.” This is despite the fact that the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration have criticized the drug for causing heart complications.
In a tweet Tuesday, Republican strategist Andrew Surabian shared a screenshot that says Trump’s account was temporarily restricted by Twitter. The tweet says, “Per the screenshot, the Tweet requires deletion because it violates our rules (sharing misinformation on COVID-19). This will have limited functionality for 12 hours.”
Trump’s son’s Twitter account deleted
Twitter has temporarily limited President Trump’s son’s account after he posted a video on the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. The video, which was shared by others on Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc-owned YouTube, violated those sites’ rules on COVID-19 misinformation after racking up tens of millions of views.
The social network says that the tweet must be deleted and that it will limit Trump Jr.’s functionality for 12 hours. He can still browse the site and use some features, but he will be unable to retweet or like any other content for that time period.
Meanwhile, Andy Surabian, a spokesman for the president’s son, said that this was “further proof” that Big Tech is intent on killing free expression online. He also said that the company is committing election interference by stifling the voices of conservatives on its platform.
Final Words:
While this move hasn’t caused any immediate problems for the Trump campaign, it’s likely to fuel more cries of censorship from conservatives. It also comes as a major concern for Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who has previously said that the platform would put a panel of experts in charge of setting its policies.