Facebook has frozen Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s page after he claimed without evidence that a herbal remedy could cure Covid-19. He claimed in January that a thyme herb solution could cure the disease. He will be unable to post for 30 days. The company said the leader had repeatedly violated its policies on coronavirus disinformation. Mr Maduro is not the only world leader to face a pushback from social media companies over Covid. US President Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro have also faced action over Covid posts.
A Facebook spokesperson told the BBC: “We removed a video posted to President Nicolas Maduro’s page for violating our policies against misinformation about Covid-19 that is likely to put people at risk for harm.
Also Read:
– Facebook Under EEOC Investigation Over Alleged Racial Bias In Its Hiring
– Facebook Agrees Preliminary Agreements With Three Australian Publishers
– Judge Approves $650 Million Facebook Privacy Settlement
Last year, Facebook deleted a video from Brazil’s President Bolsonaro over a claim that the drug hydroxychloroquine was totally effective in treating the virus. And previously a Twitter post by Mr Maduro about a different fake remedy was also deleted. In October, Facebook deleted a post in which Donald Trump claimed Covid-19 was “less lethal” than the flu. It removed another in August that included a video of him falsely asserting that children were “almost immune from Covid-19”.
Covid-19 disinformation on social media is a widespread problem.
Among them is Robert F Kennedy Jr, a nephew of the former US president, who leads an anti-vaccine group.
For your daily dose of tech, lifestyle, and trending content, make sure to follow Plat4om on Twitter @Plat4omLive, on Instagram @Plat4om, on LinkedIn at Plat4om, and on Facebook at Plat4om. You can also email us at info@plat4om.com and join our channel on Telegram at Plat4om. Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE.