Publications with false information about COVID-19 are in the “sights” of Twitter

Twitter has updated its security policy to stop the spread of false information about Coronavirus (COVID-19). The social network has banned all tweets that may put users at risk of contracting the disease. At issue are, for example, publications that deny or contradict information conveyed by official entities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and that incite risky behavior or alleged treatment practices.

According to the new policy of the platform, the company asks users to make Tweets with potentially false information to remove them. As long as the user does not delete it, the publication will be hidden, not appearing in the user's feed or profile.

Also on Twitter are publications that are intended to manipulate public opinion, such as those that indicate that COVID-19 is a fraud, or that it was created in China to destroy the West. Tweets that incite panic among the public and encourage them to take over supermarkets are also targeted. Even a tweet that falls into any of the categories, but is a joke, the social network can ask the user to remove it.

Twitter's political changes came after the big tech and social networks came together in an initiative to curb the spread of false information and provide support for efforts to combat Covid-19. In addition to the social network led by Jack Dorsey, it includes Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube and LinkedIn.

In Portugal, there have also been joint initiatives by national technologists to create solutions against Covid-19. It all started with an informal conversation between the founders of technological startups, but it quickly evolved to become a movement with more than 120 companies and 600 people from various different areas working together to help the country in the fight against COVID-19, counting with 12 projects under development.