Twitter will start removing content that contains false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. The platform also plans on banning vaccine-related Tweets that "invoke a deliberate conspiracy."

Twitter Takes Down Vaccine Misinformation

Now that the COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out around the world, Twitter is taking steps to prevent the spread of rumors about the treatment. As stated in a post on the Twitter Blog, Twitter will require users to remove false claims about the vaccines.

This includes content that "suggest immunizations and vaccines are used to intentionally cause harm to or control populations," as well as Tweets that promote conspiracy theories about the vaccine.

Twitter is also banning content that has been "widely debunked," along with false claims that imply that COVID-19 isn't real. The platform will begin enforcing this policy starting on December 21, 2020.

In early 2021, Twitter plans on labeling misleading Tweets that "advance unsubstantiated rumors, disputed claims, as well as incomplete or out-of-context information about vaccines." Twitter notes that the label on these Tweets will likely contain a link to a credible source, much like the labels we saw during the 2020 US presidential election.

Twitter also updated its COVID-19 misleading information policy to reflect these changes. Here, you can clearly see Twitter's harsh stance on the topic. The rules state that if you continually spread misinformation about the vaccines, your account could be at risk of permanent suspension.

Keep in mind that the types of content banned under this policy are subject to change. Twitter says that it will modify its rules as needed, and in accordance with any updates produced by health officials, stating:

We will enforce this policy in close consultation with local, national and global public health authorities around the world, and will strive to be iterative and transparent in our approach. We remained focused on helping people find credible health information, verifying public health experts, and updating our policies in an iterative and transparent approach.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter has made a major effort to prevent any misinformation about the virus. Twitter started combating coronavirus lies in March 2020, and still continues to do so.

Facebook has already joined in on the effort to stop the spread of false claims about the COVID-19 vaccines. Like Twitter, Facebook will also remove content that contains misinformation about the immunizations.

Will the War on Misinformation Ever End?

With Twitter's COVID-19 misleading content policy to continue well into 2021, it's clear that the war on misinformation won't be ending anytime soon. After the pandemic hit, it seems that social media platforms are taking misinformation more seriously than ever.