Social media posts by U.S. President Donald Trump resulted in immediate action from both Twitter and Facebook earlier this week. Facebook took down the president's post because it falsely claimed the flu was more deadly than the coronavirus. Twitter blocked it from being shared and warned it was false information.
In his post, Trump claimed that the coronavirus was "far less lethal" in some populations compared with the seasonal flu. He also said many had died of the flu even with vaccines available. Trump told followers - which are currently more than 87 million on Twitter and 31.5 million on Facebook - the country won't close down and people must live with COVID-19 just as they had with the flu.
Facebook said it was forced to remove the post because it was "incorrect information" pertaining to the severity of the virus. Facebook was the first to remove the statement just minutes after Trump posted it. Twitter, which placed the warning on top of the post three hours after it was published, said in a separate statement it had taken action to limit the post.
Trump tweeted "Repeal Section 230" in all capital letters - referring to the specific section of the Communications Decency Act which allows social media platforms to moderate and take action against harmful content without legal consequences.
Trump has been at odds with social media companies for their censorship of some of his posts. In May, Trump signed an executive order that attempted to repeal the legislation after Twitter started to place warning labels on some of his "misinformed" tweets.
As of Tuesday, more than 7.43 million Americans had tested positive for the coronavirus. Around 210,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that around 22,000 people died from the seasonal flu last year. The deadliest flu season was in 2017 when more than 61,000 people died.
