Donald Trump Jr suspended from tweeting after Covid post

Twitter has banned the oldest son of the President of the United States from tweeting for 12 hours.

The action followed a Donald Trump Jr post containing a video clip discussing the benefits of hydroxychloroquine.

Some, including President Trump, have suggested that the antimalarial drug works as a preventative measure against coronavirus, despite medical studies to the contrary.

Twitter said the post had violated its Covid-19 disinformation rules.

Donald Trump Jr will still be able to browse Twitter and send direct messages in the meantime.

Twitter told the BBC: “We are taking action in line with our policy.”

All major US social networking sites have taken steps to combat misinformation about the coronavirus.

Andy Surabian, a spokesman for Donald Trump Jr, told the BBC that the decision had been “beyond the limit.”

“Twitter suspended Don Jr for sharing a viral video of medical professionals discussing their views on hydroxychloroquine. It is further proof that high technology is intended to kill free expression online, and is yet another instance of them committing interference. election to stifle Republican voices, “he said.

“While there is strong disagreement in the medical community about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in treating the coronavirus, there have been studies reported by mainstream media like CNN, suggesting that it may indeed be for effective treatment.

“Those who pretend otherwise are lying for political reasons.”

Analysis

By Marianna Spring, journalist specialized in disinformation and social networks

This is Twitter’s latest move to combat misinformation about the coronavirus, and the latest escalation in its confrontation with President Trump and his allies.

This last step to restrict the president’s son’s account will no doubt add fuel to the fire, with more cries of censure from the president’s supporters.

Public statements and politicians have promoted misleading and damaging claims about hydroxychloroquine throughout the pandemic.

Discussions about the drug have become as polarized as the ongoing debate over the masks that is taking place online.

The video shared yesterday by Donald Trump Jr was emblematic of this, with people claiming to be doctors who support Trump. They suggested that studies indicating the drug was ineffective were “false science.”

With mounting pressure on social media sites to act more quickly and decisively on misinformation about the coronavirus, this move should perhaps come as no surprise.

But Twitter has not flagged the claims that the US President has made about hydroxychlorquin.

Where you choose to draw the line will be a difficult and politicized decision.

In signs that the conflict between Trump and Twitter is not diminishing, the President has asked the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to file a petition to see how social media companies moderate content.

The petition asks the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider the rules that protect social media providers from liability for content posted by their users, but still allow them to remove posts they consider objectionable.