Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Indignant at Twitter for Temporarily Suspending Her From Spreading Misinformation

Video source: YouTube, The Hill

U.S. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene took aim at social media companies following her temporary suspension from Twitter, saying it was part of an elaborate scheme by Silicon Valley and the White House to censor Americans. 

Twitter locked the Georgia Republican out of her account for 12 hours Monday after she posted two misleading tweets about COVID-19, a violation of the platform’s misinformation policies.

In one tweet, she baselessly claimed coronavirus is “not dangerous” for people who are not obese or under the age of 65. In another tweet, the first-term congresswoman said “defeating obesity” would protect people against COVID-related complications and death.

Both tweets have also been flagged by Twitter as being misleading and have been barred from being shared, liked or commented on by users.

Greene also argued against mask mandates and opposed requiring military members to receive vaccinations.

In a statement Tuesday, Greene said, “These Big Tech companies are doing the bidding of the Biden regime to restrict our voices and prevent the spread of any message that isn’t state-approved. I will not back down.”

Greene also called for President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to be fired, a plea she has made on numerous occasions.

A Twitter spokesperson told USA Today it was the second time Greene has been temporarily suspending for sharing false information about COVID-19 to her 426,000 followers.

If Greene receives a third strike, she will get a similar 12-hour ban from the platform. A fourth violation would lead to a 7-day suspension, while a fifth would result in a permanent suspension.

The penalties are part of Twitter’s newly-revised COVID-19 misinformation policy.  

In March, the social media giant announced it was taking a tougher stance on pandemic-related misinformation, particularly those who repeatedly violate the platform’s policies. 

Since the policy was initially implemented last year, the platform has "challenged 11.7 million accounts, suspended 1,496 accounts, and removed more than 43,010 pieces of content worldwide,” according to USA Today.

Greene was among the 147 Republican lawmakers who voted to overturn the November 2020 election results, insisting that Trump had won the election despite all evidence to the contrary.

Even within the Republican party, Greene has been a voice at the fringes. In May, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy led his fellow Republicans in condemning Greene for equating COVID-19 safety measures with the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

Greene’s suspension comes after President Joe Biden called on social media companies to do more to curb the spread of misinformation about the virus. 

Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory, saying health misinformation is an "urgent threat" to the public amid the pandemic.

"While it often appears innocuous on social media apps on retail sites or search engines — the truth is that misinformation takes away our freedom to make informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones,” he said. “Simply put, health misinformation has cost us lives.”

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Source: Equities News