Last week, it was reported all over the world that COVID-19 had infected US President Donald Trump.
With this news, some people wish him a speedy recovery; however, others have publicly tweeted a hope that he will die from the disease. As one might imagine, it was explicitly against Twitter’s rules, and now the company tells Motherboard that it will be enforced.
Notably, Twitter has stated that it will ban the people who are hoping for Trump’s death; however, it is not yet clear how often Twitter will be able to do it.
Tweets that wishes or hopes for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against “anyone” are not allowed, and it will have to be removed. However, this does not mechanically mean suspension.
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) October 2, 2020
Last Friday night, Twitter has added that it will remove the offending content from the comments on Trump’s tweets and content that tags him:
To be clear, we’re removing death threats or content targeted directly at the president wishing him death, including comments on his posts or his page – in addition to content tagging him.
— Liz Bourgeois (@Liz_Shepherd) October 2, 2020
This is an example of a current reply to Trump’s initial tweet had already seemed to be attempting to escape detection:
I hope you make “the sacrifice” too; as other people have.
— One Voice (@OneVoic09474519) October 2, 2020
The Twitter then told Motherboard that it would not act on every single tweet. A statement from Twitter reads,
“We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm,”
The actual rule that applies hereunder Twitter’s Abusive Behavior policy and it’s pretty straightforward:
Wishing or hoping severe harm on a person or group of people
“We do not tolerate content that wishes, hopes or expresses a desire for death, serious bodily harm or fatal disease against an individual or group of people. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Hoping that someone dies as a result of severe disease, e.g., “I hope you get cancer and die.”
- Wishing for someone to fall victim to a severe accident, e.g., “I wish that you would get run over by a car next time you run your mouth.”
- Saying that a group of individuals deserves serious physical injury, e.g., “If this group of protesters don’t shut up, they deserve to be shot.”
Trump is now headed to the Walter Reed Medical Center for testing and treatment.
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