Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Pull Down Videos of Doctor Making Coronavirus Claims

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as well as video streaming site, Youtube, have pulled down videos by  US-based Nigerian physician, Dr Stella Immanuel, who claimed that hydroxychloroquine has 100 per cent success rate in the treatment of COVID-19

Her claims run contrary to multiple studies on the anti-malarial drug and advice from public health officials to prevent the spread of the virus

The video was first published by Breitbart News, a right-wing medium co-founded by Steve Bannon, a former aide to American President, Donald Trump.

According to Crowdtangle, a data-analytics firm owned by Facebook, the video quickly went viral on Facebook with more than 14 million views and about 600,000 shares before it was taken down Monday night for promoting misinformation.

Facebook spokesperson told CNN, “We’ve removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19,” adding that the platform is “showing messages in News Feed to people who have reacted to, commented on or shared harmful COVID-19-related misinformation that we have removed, connecting them to myths debunked by the WHO.”

The video was also removed by YouTube, where it had been viewed more than 40,000 times for “violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.”