Facebook reverses policy on ban of posts saying Covid-19 was man-made
Thompson Nsisongabasi
May 28, 2021
Social media giants, Facebook have said it will no longer remove from its platforms claims that coronavirus was man-made.
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The announcement comes shortly after US President Joe Biden announced he had directed the US intelligence community to restart an investigation into the origin of Covid-19.
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US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday, May 26, he had given the US officials 90 days to investigate the virus' origins.
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The announcement came after a US intelligence report found several researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized, a new detail that was not revealed before.
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The Trump administration had touted claims that Coronavirus was man made i.e created in a Chinese lab, but China vigorously denied that assertion with the World Health Organization (WHO) also touting China's stance that the virus originated from animals.
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Following Biden's announcement of more investigations into Covid-19 origins, Facebook has now announces a change of policy.
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A Facebook spokesperson said to CNN on Wednesday night;
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"In light of ongoing investigations into the origin of Covid-19 and in consultation with public health experts, we will no longer remove the claim that Covid-19 is man-made from our apps."
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"We're continuing to work with health experts to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic and regularly update our policies as new facts and trends emerge," the spokesperson added.
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Facebook as part of its fact check policies announced in February it would remove claims that the virus was man-made following "consultations with leading health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO)."
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Facebook had previously deleted posts that spread vaccine misinformation and other Covid-19 claims that were not approved by the WHO.
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— Thompson Nsisongabasi