Facebook Breaks Political Exemption to Remove Bolsonaro COVID-19 Video
Facebook removes a video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for promoting unproven hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 cure. This marks a rare departure from the platform's policy of not fact-checking politicians.
Facebook breaks from its usual policy of not fact-checking politicians by removing a video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. In the video, Bolsonaro claims that the drug hydroxychloroquine is working everywhere as a treatment for COVID-19, despite a lack of scientific confirmation from researchers and health authorities. A Facebook spokesperson explains that the platform removes content that violates Community Standards by spreading misinformation that could lead to physical harm.
The social media giant specifically prohibits false claims about cures, treatments, and the severity of contagion outbreaks. Alongside his endorsement of the unproven drug, Bolsonaro tells a street vendor that people want to work, directly contradicting the World Health Organization's social distancing guidelines. If the public falsely believes a widely effective cure exists, they may act recklessly, refuse isolation, and ultimately accelerate the spread of the virus.
This decisive takedown aligns with recent enforcement actions by Twitter, which also removes Bolsonaro's tweets for spreading similar misinformation. Historically, Facebook avoids acting as an arbiter of truth for political figures and famously refuses to fact-check political ads. However, the company states that COVID-19 misinformation contributing to imminent physical harm faces immediate removal, leaving observers to wonder if this standard will apply equally to other world leaders.