The social network claimed that it expanded the rules to cover all types of content that go against official public health information.
On Sunday night (29) the social network, Twitter, deleted two publications made by the official account of President Jair Bolsonaro where he questioned the social isolation measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
Where the messages were, the following information now appears: “This tweet is no longer available because it violated Twitter's rules.”
Twitter's response on the matter was as follows:
“Twitter recently announced that it is expanding its rules globally to cover content that contradicts public health information from official sources and could put people at greater risk of transmitting COVID-19.” Details of the expanded approach are available on the network’s official blog.
In the post the company cited, there is a list of the types of messages that could put public health at risk in relation to the coronavirus.
Sunday walk
On Sunday (29), President Jair Bolsonaro caused crowds during a walk in Brasília and once again took a stand against social isolation, which has been defended and guided by health authorities around the world. The president's walk and position were recorded in posts on Twitter.
Content contradicts world health authorities
Twitter did not provide specific details about which aspects of the statements or images in the two posts led to their deletion. In addition to the two deleted posts, there is also another post of his trip to Brasilia and statements on Sunday about the coronavirus that remain online.
In one of the deleted videos, Bolsonaro talks to a street vendor and advocates for people to keep working. He tells “those over 65 to stay home.” He nods when one of the people in the crowd says that “businesses have to open and work normally.”
In the second video, Bolsonaro enters a supermarket, once again causing crowds. He criticizes isolation measures and tells journalists that “the country becomes immune when 60,70% have been infected” and that a cure for the coronavirus “is already a reality”, without presenting any proof.
The president also stated in one of the videos: “Brazil cannot stop. If Brazil stops, it will become Venezuela (…) we will face the virus with reality, it is life, we will all die one day.”