China has launched a Twitter offensive in the COVID-19 information war, doubling the number of government tweets spreading a theory about a U.S. origin for the virus. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to another follow-up question asking if the WHO and Zhao tweets will be placed behind the notice to provide context and why China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson is considered a world leader. Twitter is one of several US-based social media platforms that are blocked in China, along with. MSNBC TREADS WATER DURING JAM-PACKED NEWS QUARTER, FAILS TO ADD VIEWERS. Social media just made it easier to spread, China's Huawei backtracks after filing for patent to identify Uyghur faces, including one involving former President Donald Trump's account. “We have a long history of tackling disinformation on our service and publish all state-backed operations (inc. China) we remove in full to our public database,” a Twitter spokesperson told Fox News. Brian Flood covers the media for Fox News. Apparently, disinformation designed to push debunked talking points about a deadly global pandemic doesn’t fall into any of these categories. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Gainor then pointed out that NBC News and other mainstream media outlets have been accused of pushing China’s talking points, possibly paving the way for Twitter to let the information stay on its platform. The Twitter spokesperson pointed Fox News to its “policy on public officials and world leaders, which applies equally to representatives of all states” and notes that a series of exceptions the company makes to its rules. It's a deepfake, Goya CEO under fire for false Trump election claims, These Trump supporters are convinced he will be president again on March 4, Podcaster explains QAnon belief behind March 4th, This former teacher is using Instagram to combat misinformation online, Former QAnoner wonders if she put Trump above God. “Although the epidemic first broke out in China, it did not necessarily mean that the virus is originated from China, let alone 'made in China,'” the Chinese Embassy wrote in the tweet that was not removed as of Thursday morning. Even NBC News, which has been accused of parroting Chinese propaganda, reported that Zhao is known for making “outrageous comments” on social media. Many political pundits have been censored and others have claimed to be shadow-banned, which is the alleged act of partially silencing a user without their knowledge by making it hard to search or locate their tweets. Back on March 7, China's embassy in South Africa floated a theory that coronavirus did not originate in China. Make public your data! China Used Twitter To Disrupt Hong Kong Protests, ... A tender posted on Aug. 16 by Chinese state-run outlet China News offers 1.25 million yuan ($176,900) to acquire more Twitter … "China is ... a major victim. When asked about the report, the Foreign Ministry's top spokesperson, Hua Chunying, didn't directly address the allegations about China's role in spreading virus disinformation. When asked about the report, the Foreign Ministry’s top spokesperson, Hua Chunying, didn't directly address the allegations about China's role in spreading virus disinformation. Morningstar: Copyright 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Twitter has not removed the message and American media covered it, so its existence isn’t exactly a secret to the tech giant. President Donald Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk both recently had messages removed when they promoted hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria that many feel can combat coronavirus. One link sent by Twitter details a 2019 decision to disclose steps taken to stop tweets meant to “sow political discord in Hong Kong” amid protests by suspending various accounts. Twitter disputes State Department claims China coordinated coronavirus disinformation accounts By Jennifer Hansler , Donie O'Sullivan and Kylie Atwood , CNN Updated 4:46 PM ET, Fri May 8, … In addition, we may label Tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media to help people understand their authenticity and to provide additional context,” the official Twitter description of manipulated media states. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it was confused by the move and that it was the embassy's responsibility to call out disinformation and clarify the truth. The Chinese embassy, for its part, has not tweeted since January 9. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Political satirist and columnist Tim Young relies on Twitter for self-promotion and to distribute his work, but he has publicly pondered if he’s been secretly censored by the platform over his conservative views. The Chinese government defended its use of Twitter and Facebook on Thursday, following a report that it had used its growing social media presence to spread disinformation about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. It doesn't want to offend the… nation of China that lied to the world about how many thousands died from the pandemic,” Gainor told Fox News. China still has major concerns about the safety of Boeing’s 737 MAX, the deputy head of the country’s aviation regulator said on Monday. China’s top economic official has announced a healthy growth target and plans to become a more self-reliant technology leader amid tension with … Updated 1738 GMT (0138 HKT) January 21, 2021. There are other examples of pro-China disinformation that have not been removed by Twitter -- some more egregious than others. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All rights reserved. “Parts of Chinese social media, and even the country's government, appear to have launched a concerted campaign to question the origin of the novel coronavirus,” liberal CNN reported last month. Most stock quote data provided by BATS. “Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus,” the WHO wrote on Jan. 14. Facebook and Twitter fell on President Trump's threat. Stay on top of China latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps. It’s unclear why the pro-China misinformation is not a violation of Twitter rules. China not ready to clear Boeing 737 MAX for flight. The World Health Organization cited “Chinese authorities” that claimed that COVID-19 might not be passed from person to person in an obviously inaccurate message sent to the organization’s 7.2 million followers. Sign up here. Lawmakers from both parties agree the law needs to change. Did China's influence over WHO interfere with global response to coronavirus pandemic? Follow him on Twitter at @briansflood. Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) said that it had locked the account of China’s embassy in the United States over a tweet about Uighur women, CNBC reports.. What Happened: The … Market data provided by Factset. The photo was released by China's Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved. Twitter has suspended or removed countless users for tweets that violate its rules over the years, with everyone from #MeToo advocate Rose McGowan to conservative actor James Woods winding up in the doghouse because of specific tweets over the years. Of course, the Chinese Embassy in the US has responsibilities and obligations to clarify the facts and explain the truth," Hua Chunying, "We hope Twitter can uphold the principle of objectivity and impartiality, not to show double standards on this issue, but to strengthen screening, and identify what is false information, what are rumors and lies, and what is fact and truth. “I'm sure Twitter sees itself as a global company. WHO ARE THE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE MEMBERS? "This genocide is ongoing, and... we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state," former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Tuesday, on the last full day of the Trump administration. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a … China China Is Now Sending Twitter Users to Prison for Posts Most Chinese Can’t See More than 50 people have been jailed in past three years … CORONAVIRUS LIVE BLOG: INFECTION CONTROL EXPERT DR. STEPHANIE TAYLOR ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS. Twitter has locked the account of China's U.S. embassy for a tweet that defended China's policy towards Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, which the U.S. social media platform said violated its stand against "dehumanizing" people. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. There are many false and ugly [pieces of] information about China on Xinjiang-related issues. “I guess, in that way, Twitter is patterning itself after the major media in the U.S.,” he said. These Georgia voters are mired in misinformation. "In the process of eradicating extremism, the minds of [Uyghur] women in Xinjiang were emancipated and gender equality and reproductive health were promoted," the tweet read, citing a. China’s diplomats are finally warming to Twitter as they move away from their traditionally low-key style of communication and seek to engage more directly with the rest of the world. Documents show that Chinese government agencies have been paying to acquire more social media followers. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc.2018. Twitter then responded to a follow-up question asking why the tweets from the WHO and Zhao aren’t considered violations. Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Now, some may not vote, Melinda Gates: Vaccine 'disinformation can equal death', How social media sites are tackling vaccine misinformation, These Trump supporters say Fox News is too liberal, Russian misinformation isn't new. "I hope that there will not be some kind of overreach in measures adopted that will silence speech or take the wrong approach," said Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit that defends online civil liberties, referring to global efforts to regulate the space. “Aren’t they supposed to be committed to fighting foreign influence in our elections?”, Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. But a lunatic regime that locks up 1 million Muslims for their faith and blames the U.S. for the pandemic, it can lie as much as it wants.”. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Chinese government defended its use of Twitter and Facebook on Thursday, following a report that it had used its growing social media presence to spread disinformation about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. “However, if a Tweet from a world leader does violate the Twitter Rules but there is a clear public interest value to keeping the Tweet on the service, we may place it behind a notice that provides context about the violation and allows people to click through should they wish to see the content.”. BEIJING — The Chinese government defended its use of Twitter and Facebook on Thursday, following a report that it had used its growing social … CNN reported that Giuliani and Kirk were “temporarily locked for violating the Twitter Rules regarding COVID-19 misinformation.”. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates. It polices things conservatives say and targets pro-life organizations. All rights reserved. And Twitter hasn't removed the bogus information. Legal Statement. Sign up here. “It's incredible to me that Twitter would allow this misinformation and Chinese government propaganda to stay and be spread on its platform,” Young told Fox News. or redistributed. An eye-opening example was sent by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, when he promoted a conspiracy theory on March 12 that coronavirus was brought to the city of Wuhan by the United States military. NIKKI HALEY ACCUSES WHO OF TAKING 'CHINA'S WORD' ON CORONAVIRUS TRANSMISSION. Hong Kong (CNN Business)China says that it is a "victim" of misinformation after Twitter restricted the account of the Chinese embassy in the United States. ", China's far western Xinjiang region has long been associated with. The second link provided by Twitter was “publicly available archives of Tweets and media that we believe resulted from potentially state-backed information operations” on the service. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Be transparent! Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor, who oversees the conservative organization’s TechWatch initiative designed to monitor censorship attempts by social media platforms, didn’t hold back when asked for comment on the misleading tweets not being removed by Twitter. China denies accusations of abuses in Xinjiang and said the report was “wholly without factual basis”. The nation will promote the … NY CORONAVIRUS CURVE 'FLATTENING' CUOMO SAYS AS STATE SEES HIGHEST SINGLE DAY DEATH TOLL. Twitter’s website indicates that the company “purpose is to serve the public conversation” and the platform’s lengthy rules “are to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely.” Twitter has specific rules against just about everything, including violence, terrorism, child sex exploitation, abuse, harassment, hateful conduct, self-harm, promotion of unlawful good or services, sensitive media with graphic content, various privacy concerns, spam, election integrity, impersonation, copyright/trademark infringement and manipulated media. “We focus on the language of reported Tweets and do not attempt to determine all potential interpretations of the content or its intent. In similar cases —. Twitter and other social media companies have been, In December, the European Commission proposed, US law shields social media companies from responsibility over what is posted on their platforms. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. At a regular briefing in Beijing on Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended the embassy's actions. “The American press have put forth tons of Chinese lies about the pandemic.”, FOX NEWS CHANNEL RATINGS FOR FIRST QUARTER OF 2020 ARE THE HIGHEST IN NETWORK HISTORY. “You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. ", The embassy's account, meanwhile, will remain locked until the Tweet is deleted, according to Twitter. Get the latest Asian news from BBC News in Asia: breaking news, features, analysis and special reports plus audio and video from across the Asian continent. Disclaimer. The tweet essentially claiming coronavirus might not be contagious was still posted on Twitter as of Thursday morning, nearly three months after it was initially sent, and as millions of Americans are following stay-at-home orders in order to slow the spread of the virus. “Twitter has a weird relationship with facts. Insight from Bradley Thayer, political science professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Beijing, Feb 19: The Chinese government defended its use of Twitter and Facebook on Thursday, following a report that it had used its growing social … AP As COVID cases began to rise a year ago, a Chinese company contacted several U.S. states and offered to set up testing labs. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. China says that it is a "victim" of misinformation after Twitter restricted the account of the Chinese embassy in the United States. US owe us an explanation!". ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased a nearly 200-point rise amid China news Thursday. What impact could deplatforming Donald Trump have? The delegation in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular US business hours. Twitter locked the account of China's US embassy over a post that called Uighur women 'baby-making machines' Sarah Al-Arshani 2021-01-21T10:03:52Z Market data provided by Factset. News of the Twitter restriction was first reported by, A Twitter spokesperson said that the tweet had violated the company's content policy, which prohibits "the dehumanization of a group of people based on their religion, caste, age, disability, serious disease, national origin, race, or ethnicity. Tech companies ban Trump, but not other problematic leaders, Roger Stone dances in pro-Trump rap video, No, Tom Cruise isn't on TikTok. It is not clear whether the embassy intends to delete the post to restore its account. This Twitter surge has come at a time when China is grappling with international pressure on issues like the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, Uighur camps in Xinjiang and the US-China … The United States has officially determined that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims and ethnic and religious minority groups who live in Xinjiang. On February 17, 1979, a massive 30-minute artillery barrage rocked the China-Vietnam border. China is offering new backing for the development of nuclear power as a key tool in its drive to cut carbon emissions. Presently, direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling are generally not in violation of the Twitter Rules,” the spokesperson said. China defends use of Twitter, Facebook in virus campaign February 18, 2021 GMT FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2020 file photo, a smartphone records Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying as she speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. When Fox News asked Twitter what it has done to combat misinformation that pushes pro-China talking points, it provided a statement and pair of links. All rights reserved. has specific rules against just about everything. All times are ET. A tender posted Aug. 16 by Chinese state-run outlet China News … “It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Social media sites such as Twitter are banned in China, but that hasn’t stopped government officials from the communist nation and their allies from using the platforms to spread disinformation and conspiracy theories about coronavirus. From China trade wars and tensions with Australia and the United States, to conflict in the South China Sea, find all your news at news.com.au Twitter is blocked in China but is an increasingly favored platform by China’s diplomats and state media.