Twitter will remove misleading tweets about COVID-19, 5G conspiracy theories

In a bid to curb misinformation, Twitter has said that it will remove misleading tweets about 5G conspiracy theories and coronavirus. The tech giant announced on Wednesday that it will remove any tweet that would incite people to engage in harmful activities. The announcement comes a day after a conspiracy theorists were found burning a 5G tower in Europe, claiming a link to the coronavirus.

"We have broadened our guidance on unverified claims that incite people to engage in a harmful activity, could lead to the destruction or damage of critical 5G infrastructure or could lead to widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder," the company said in a tweet.

Ever since Twitter announced on March 18 that they would remove fake news and misleading tweets from its platform. It was successful in removing over 2,230 tweets with misleading and potentially harmful content. "Since introducing our updated policies on March 18, we've removed over 2,230 Tweets containing misleading and potentially harmful content. Our automated systems have challenged more than 3.4 million accounts targeting manipulative discussions around COVID-19," Twitter said in a tweet.

Earlier, the other social media giant Facebook also revealed that they are taking aggressive steps to remove misleading content from its platform. "We are taking aggressive steps to stop misinformation and harmful content from spreading on our platforms and connect people to accurate information about Coronavirus," a Facebook spokesperson told Independent.
The social media has been afloat with baseless conspiracy theories involving 5G towers and even Bill Gates. As a result of those theories, that originated from and spread through social media platforms, several reports of 5G masts in the UK being burnt were reported. Many 5G towers were put to flames in Birmingham, Merseyside, and Belfast. The theorists claimed that the waves from 5G towers weaken the immune system of a person while the other one claimed that the 5G tower sucks the oxygen out of a person's body. However, no relation was found between the coronavirus and the 5G towers and it was found to be absolute bunkum.

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook unknowingly became the carriers of those conspiracy theories.
The theory involving Bill Gates claimed that Microsoft honcho was responsible for creating the virus that has claimed the lives of so many people across the globe. There was no truth in either of the conspiracy theories that spread like wildfire. The burning of 5G towers in the UK disrupted the work of many important bodies and working professionals who are working from home.