Microblogging site Twitter has deleted 52 tweets flagged by the Central Government for criticizing its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centre, however, has clarified that the tweets were flagged and deleted not because they were critical, but because they spread ‘fake News’.
The tweets reportedly were posted by Congress’ Lok Sabha MP Revanth Reddy, Bengal minister Moloy Ghatak, actor Vineet Kumar Singh and filmmakers Vinod Kapri and Avinash Das.
According to NDTV, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed the deletion of the tweets based on a legal complaint by the Centre. The account holders have been apprised of their action through emails.
“We are tackling COVID-19 misinformation using a combination of product, technology, and human review – these critical efforts will continue to be a priority. In order for content related to COVID-19 to be labelled or removed under this policy, it must.
Advance a claim of fact, expressed in definitive terms; Demonstrably false or misleading, based on widely available, authoritative sources; likely to impact public safety or cause serious harm,” the spokesperson said.