Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against covid-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts and social media researchers that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus.
"Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the covid-19 misleading information policy," an update to Twitter's online rules read Monday night.
By Tuesday, some Twitter accounts were testing the new boundaries and celebrating the platform's hands-off approach, which comes after Twitter was purchased by Elon Musk.
"This policy was used to silence people across the world who questioned the media narrative surrounding the virus and treatment options," tweeted Dr. Simone Gold, a physician and leading purveyor of covid-19 misinformation. "A win for free speech and medical freedom!"
Twitter's decision to no longer remove false claims about the safety of covid-19 vaccines disappointed public health officials, however, who said it could lead to more false claims about the virus or the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
While Twitter's efforts to stop false claims about covid weren't perfect, the company's decision to reverse course is an abdication of its duty to its users, said Paul Russo, a social media researcher and dean of the Katz School of Science and Health at Yeshiva University in New York.
Russo added that it's the latest of several recent moves by Twitter that could...
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