‘I’m back!’: Accounts for vaccine creator Dr Robert Malone and cardiologist Dr Peter McCullough are the latest to be reinstated to Twitter
- Dr. Robert Malone, an mRNA vaccine researcher, and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, both saw their Twitter accounts reactivated on Monday
- Both had been banned over Twitter’s policy on Covid-19 misinformation
- The pair have shared Covid-19 conspiracies that have been widely discredited
Twitter has reinstated the accounts of two doctors who were banned over the social media platform’s policy on Covid-19 misinformation.
Dr. Robert Malone, an mRNA vaccine researcher, and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, both saw their profiles reactivated amid Twitter owner Elon Musk’s ongoing efforts to restore accounts that were previously banned.
Malone announced his return to the platform on Tuesday with a Tweet saying ‘I’m back’, before plugging his latest blog post ‘Welcome to Fifth Gen (Information) Warfare’ – which in its first paragraph featured misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines.
McCullough has not yet posted since his account was reinstated.
Twitter has reinstated the accounts of two doctors (Dr. Robert Malone, an mRNA vaccine researcher pictured left, and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough pictured right) who were banned over the social media platform’s policy on Covid-19 misinformation
Their return to the platform follows others who have been previously banned, including former President Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, comedian Kathy Griffin and influencer Andrew Tate.
Musk has been described as a ‘free speech absolutist’ and has taken steps to reverse bans on accounts that critics of the previous Twitter board have said targeted conservative-leaning voices – such as Trump and Greene.
Critics of Musk have said they were banned for a reason, and allowing some accounts to return to Twitter will cause further harm, while analysts say Musk should be wary of scaring advertisers away from the platform.
Malone, whose early work focused on mRNA technology, has repeatedly made discredited claims regarding the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines.
Twitter banned his account in January, after several of his posts had been labelled as misleading by the platform – including one on December 29, 2021 in which he shared a video that incorrectly said Pfizer vaccinations for Covid caused ‘more harm than good’. Malone was posting several times a day in a similar vein.
Last year, he also suggested the Pfizer and Moderna might make Covid-19 infections worse while speaking on Steve Bannon’s podcast – despite vaccines having repeatedly been shown to help prevent symptomatic infections and reduce severity.
When he was banned, Twitter did not specify which of his posts to the platform violated its policy, but speaking to Joe Rogan the day after, he said he suspected it was either for another post on his Substack blog or a link to a website related to the World Economic Forum.
He told The Epoch Times that Twitter had given him several notices about his posts, but that no action had been taken against him up until that point – despite his posts being clearly marked as misinformation.
Malone announced his return to the platform on Tuesday with a Tweet saying ‘I’m back’ (pictured) before plugging his latest blog post ‘Welcome to Fifth Gen (Information) Warfare’ – which in its first paragraph featured misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines
Click here for latest Twitter Files reveal: Staffers banned Trump but let Iranian Ayatollah stay on the platform
Malone provided a screenshot to the publication showing Twitter’s message informing him why his account was banned.
‘Specifically, for: Violating our policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. You may not use Twitter’s services to share false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm,’ it said.
Meanwhile, McCullough – an American cardiologist who was vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center – also saw his account reactivated.
Like Malone, McCullough has contributed to the spread of Covid-19 misinformation, although it was unclear when his account was banned. He appeared to be posting up until October 6 this year – weeks before Elon Musk’s takeover.
McCullough also spoke with Joe Rogan on his podcast, which went on to be one of the most downloaded episodes of all time.
Among his false claims, McCullough has claimed people under the age of 50 and those who have already been infected with Covid do not need the vaccine and that there’s no evidence of asymptomatic spread – both while testifying to a Texas Senate committee. Both claims have been discredited.
He has also falsely claimed that there have been huge numbers of fatalities attributed to Covid-19 vaccines, a popular conspiracy theory with not basis.
Like Malone, McCullough’s Twitter feed is full of examples of Covid misinformation.
News of the two accounts being reinstated came after Twitter dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations formed in 2016 to address problematic behavior.
News of the two accounts being reinstated came after Twitter dissolved its Trust and Safety Council , the advisory group of around 100 independent civil, human rights and other organizations formed in 2016 to address problematic behavior. Pictured: An email to the council on Monday informing it of its disbandment
The council had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives on Monday night, but Twitter informed the group via email that it was disbanding it shortly before the meeting was to take place, according to multiple of its members.
The latest move by new owner Elon Musk came after Yoel Roth, the company’s former head of trust and safety – who was forced to flee his home on account of threats recieved after Musk shared his thesis.
Roth has come under fire after the release of the so-called ‘Twitter Files’ – a series of revelations about the platform’s moderation.
The former trust and safety manager has become emblematic of what critics say were the issues with Twitter censoring posts.
News of his apparent dealings with the FBI sparked claims the social media network was in bed with the federal government.
Snippets of his communications have been posted in recent days by conservative journalists Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss as part of what Musk has termed the ‘Twitter Files’ – the fifth instalment of which were published on Monday.
The latest details revealed Twitter indefinitely banned Donald Trump two days after the January 6 Capitol riots, when employees compared him to Adolf Hitler and a terrorist leader – even though senior staff said said he didn’t violate policy.
Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth (pictured) and his family have been forced from their home following threats and harassment after the release of the ‘Twitter Files’
Journalist Bari Weiss shared internal messaging showing some staffers for the social media platform were concerned of the negative repercussions of banning Trump, including allegations of censorship.
Employees assigned to evaluate Trump’s tweets also concluded that he did not violate policy and it would be hard to argue that he incited violence.
But staffers calling for Trump’s account to be banned were victorious when Twitter’s Head of Policy said his reference to ‘American Patriots’ in a January 8 tweet could be ‘coded’ as an ‘incitement of violence’.
His account was removed – until Elon Musk took over – even though dictators such as Iran’s Ayatollah who directly called for violence and murder were allowed to stay.
Musk himself has courted controversy in recent days. Over the weekend, Musk tweeted: ‘My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci’. He was abruptly rebuked, with Fauci claiming on Monday that his safety is increasingly at risk.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Musks’ comment ‘dangerous’ and ‘disgusting’ in a press briefing on Monday.
Musk was also mocked after he was met with a chorus of boos when introduced as a surprise guest during a Dave Chappelle comedy gig in San Francisco.
The billionaire businessman appeared shellshocked at the hostile reception in Twitter’s headquarter city and remained mostly silent on stage.
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