Facebook Reverses Policy on COVID 'Man-Made' Origin Theory

Facebook Policy Decisions COVID-19

Facebook reversed its policy to now allow content that claims COVID was ‘man-made’ after President Biden asked U.S. intel agencies to investigate if COVID leaked from the Wuhan lab. Politico reported the following statement from a Facebook spokesperson:

“In light of ongoing investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public health experts, we will no longer remove the claim that COVID-19 is man-made from our apps,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We’re continuing to work with health experts to keep pace with the evolving nature of the pandemic and regularly update our policies as new facts and trends emerge.”

It was uncertain at the time if Facebook would be lifting the restrictions or bans placed on accounts that had previously violated this policy.

Sources / Relevant Material

  1. politico.com/news/2021/05/26/facebook-ban-covid-man-made-491053
  2. thehill.com/homenews/news/555657-facebook-reverses-policy-to-allow-posts-speculating-that-covid-19-was-made-in-a
  3. nypost.com/2021/05/26/facebook-reverses-ban-on-posts-claiming-covid-was-man-made/