homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Coronavirus disinformation: Twitter deletes videos from Brazil's president for violating public health

After Rudy Giuliani, Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro becomes the latest high-ranking figure to have Tweets removed for misinformation.

Mihai Andrei
March 31, 2020 @ 1:54 am

share Share

Brazil’s far-right leader has been vehement in his discourse against COVID-19 suppression methods, going against what doctors and researchers advise. Now, Twitter has penalized him by removing videos that go against the platform’s terms of service.

Credits: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil.

Two of Bolsonar’s posts were removed and replaced with a notice explaining why they had been taken down. In one of the posts, Bolsonaro called for an end to the quarantine measures and for Brazil to “return to normal”.

“If it continues like this, with the amount of unemployment what we will have later is a very serious problem that will take years to be resolved,” he said of the isolation measures.

“If it continues like this, with the amount of unemployment what we will have later is a very serious problem that will take years to be resolved,” he said of the isolation measures.

“Brazil cannot stop or we’ll turn into Venezuela,” Bolsonaro later told reporters outside his official residence.

In the second video, Bolsonaro is on a walking tour, praising the unproven treatment hydroxychloroquine and discussing with a street vendor about how Brazilians need to return to work. In recent videos, Bolsonaro was also seen strolling through crowded areas.

Bolsonaro isn’t the only South American leader to receive a social media slap from Twitter. Last week, the site deleted a post by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was promoting a completely unproven “natural brew” to cure COVID-19.

Bolsonaro’s videos are still available on Facebook. Twitter has apparently taken a more proactive approach to limit the spread of misinformation and disinformation, whereas Facebook has been far more lenient.

Twitter recently announced a change in its terms of service, prohibiting users from denying local or global health authority recommendations, denying established scientific facts about transmission, and promoting treatments not known to be effective.

This decision will likely prove to be very important in the following weeks, as quarantine will become increasingly difficult to maintain. Several nationalistic leaders, spearheaded by Donald Trump, have publicly supported the idea of reducing quarantine to support the economy — something which experts agree that will not only cost a lot of human lives, but also have an even worse impact on the economy.

Bolsonaro has been the most vocal denier of the severity of the COVID-19 crisis. He came to power last year promising a strong economy and is turning the pandemic into a political debate, rather than a health one.

“Jair Bolsonaro is alone right now,” says Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of the publication Americas Quarterly. “No other major world leader is denying the severity of this to the extent that he is and depending on how things go, that approach could cost a lot of lives in Brazil.”

recent poll from Datafolha found that 73% of people in Brazil supported total isolation, and around 54% approved of local governors’ management of the crisis (contrary to what Bolsonaro wants to happen).

share Share

After Charlie Kirk’s Murder, Americans Are Asking If Civil Discourse Is Even Possible Anymore

Trying to change someone’s mind can seem futile. But there are approaches to political discourse that still matter, even if they don’t instantly win someone over.

Climate Change May Have Killed More Than 16,000 People in Europe This Summer

Researchers warn that preventable heat-related deaths will continue to rise with continued fossil fuel emissions.

New research shows how Trump uses "strategic victimhood" to justify his politics

How victimhood rhetoric helped Donald Trump justify a sweeping global trade war

Biggest Modern Excavation in Tower of London Unearths the Stories of the Forgotten Inhabitants

As the dig deeper under the Tower of London they are unearthing as much history as stone.

Millions Of Users Are Turning To AI Jesus For Guidance And Experts Warn It Could Be Dangerous

AI chatbots posing as Jesus raise questions about profit, theology, and manipulation.

Can Giant Airbags Make Plane Crashes Survivable? Two Engineers Think So

Two young inventors designed an AI-powered system to cocoon planes before impact.

First Food to Boost Immunity: Why Blueberries Could Be Your Baby’s Best First Bite

Blueberries have the potential to give a sweet head start to your baby’s gut and immunity.

Ice Age People Used 32 Repeating Symbols in Caves Across the World. They May Reveal the First Steps Toward Writing

These simple dots and zigzags from 40,000 years ago may have been the world’s first symbols.

NASA Found Signs That Dwarf Planet Ceres May Have Once Supported Life

In its youth, the dwarf planet Ceres may have brewed a chemical banquet beneath its icy crust.

Nudists Are Furious Over Elon Musk's Plan to Expand SpaceX Launches in Florida -- And They're Fighting Back

A legal nude beach in Florida may become the latest casualty of the space race