According to Twitter, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-personal Greene’s account has been permanently suspended “for multiple breaches of our COVID-19 disinformation policy.” Her official government account is still operational. Rep. Greene has been prolific in posting articles and information ostensibly related to the epidemic, but which are sometimes misleading or just incorrect.
Disinformation about the virus, how it spreads, the efficacy of vaccinations, and other issues are among those on which Twitter has placed a line in the sand, since misinformation about the virus, how it spreads, and the efficacy of vaccines, among other things, has a major impact on public health. “We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently ban accounts for repeated breaches of the policy,” Twitter stated in a statement.
The permanent ban follows a series of shorter account locks and warnings that happened throughout 2021 and reported on. Despite Twitter being a privately owned and managed company with clearly stated regulations, Greene complained then of infringement of her “freedom of expression,” and made a last complaint in a statement this morning: “Twitter is an enemy of America and can’t handle the truth.” That’s good; I’ll show America that we don’t require their assistance and that it’s time to vanquish our adversaries.”
It is unclear whether her declaration implies she will stop using the “enemy” platform she claims she does not need. Her official United States Representative account is still active, despite the fact that she has not used it in over a week. I have asked Twitter if her breaches have put this account in peril as well, and I will update this page if I hear back. Twitter often bans people who incite violence, publish inaccurate or private information, or propagate misleading information about the epidemic. This story is still developing, so check back later for more information.
Greene’s ban from Twitter comes as daily coronavirus cases in the United States reached a new high last week, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting more than 316,000 new infections each day on a seven-day moving average. The last high was in January of last year, over a year ago. Too far, 289 million infections have occurred worldwide, resulting in 5.4 million fatalities.
