Facebook announced on Saturday that it had “blocked” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s account for 30 days after the latter’s “repeated violations” of the American company’s policy on disinformation linked to Covid-19.
“Due to repeated violations of our regulations, we blocked the page for 30 days during which it will only be read,” a spokesperson told AFP. Maduro’s account remains open and visible but he will no longer be able to make any posts or comments for a month. “We have removed a video from Mr. Maduro’s page” in which the Socialist President praised the drug Carvativir, the effectiveness of which has not yet been demonstrated by medical studies, specifies Facebook. Facebook had previously warned the administrators of Maduro’s account that he had broken the rules.
More than 12 million content removed
In February, Nicolas Maduro had also criticized the social network, denouncing the “censorship” by Facebook of a video evoking the Carvativir: “They [Facebook] say that until the WHO has validated, I cannot talk about Carvativir. Who is ruling Venezuela? Who runs the world? The owner of Facebook? “.
Facebook assures to attack “publications which contain misleading, false or unfounded assertions on the subject of health, and in particular those which assure that a product can offer a prevention or an immunity of 100% or can cure the virus”. The company’s automatic systems have removed more than 12 million misleading content about Covid-19 or vaccines since the start of the pandemic, according to Facebook.