Twitter said it will not take action against politicians’
tweets on the origins of the coronavirus outbreak unless they pose
a “clear incitement” of physical harm, indicating it plans to
largely stay on the sidelines of an intensifying blame game between
U.S. and Chinese leaders.
“Official government accounts engaging in conversation about
the origins of the virus and global public conversation about
potential emergent treatments will be permitted, unless the content
contains clear incitement to take a harmful physical action,”
Twitter’s
public safety arm tweeted late Monday.
The announcement arrives as the rapid spread of the virus —
first identified in Wuhan, China — has ignited a global war of
words on and off social media over its origin.
President Donald Trump and other Republican officials have
repeatedly referred to the outbreak as a “Chinese virus,”
stoking
warnings among Democrats that the rhetoric will incite
violence against Asian Americans. Meanwhile, Chinese officials have
suggested
without
evidence that the illness may have originated in the United
States, angering
Republican lawmakers.
Trump has also repeatedly
promoted unproven treatments for Covid-19, including an
anti-malarial drug that his own health officials caution needs much
more testing to determine whether it is safe and effective.
Twitter earlier this month
expanded its rules against coronavirus misinformation to
include posts that contradict recommendations or reliable
information about the illness from authoritative public health
agencies, part of a wider crackdown by the social media
industry.
