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Coronaviruses

Facebook Removes Bolsonaro's Live Broadcast Claiming COVID-19 Vaccines Cause AIDS

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Facebook and Instagram removed a live broadcast by Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday night, citing its policy against claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people. Bolsonaro alleged that people in the U.K. who have received two coronavirus vaccine doses are developing AIDS faster than expected. The company's statement emphasized that its policies do not allow such claims, and it didn't respond to questions regarding the delay in removing the content or whether language barriers played a role. This move comes as part of a broader context of Facebook's efforts to combat misinformation, particularly in Brazil, where Bolsonaro has been a vocal critic of vaccines.

Key Takeaways:

  • Facebook removed a live broadcast by President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday night due to its policy against claims that COVID-19 vaccines harm people.
  • The broadcast claimed that people in the U.K. who have received two coronavirus vaccine doses are developing AIDS faster than expected.
  • Facebook's press office confirmed the removal in an emailed statement, citing its policy against COVID-19 vaccine-related harm claims.
  • Bolsonaro has 14.6 million followers on Facebook and almost 19 million on Instagram, making his official channels popular platforms for his supporters.
  • This is the first time Facebook removed one of Bolsonaro's weekly live broadcasts, which serve as a direct channel of communication with his supporters.
  • Social media platforms played a significant role in Bolsonaro's election victory in 2018, and he will run for reelection in 2024.
  • A fact-checking service, Aos Fatos, found that Bolsonaro's claim was based on a loosely related story published last October in Brazil, which pertained to the type of vaccine in Russia's Sputnik shot, not authorized for use in Brazil.
  • Facebook previously removed posts by Bolsonaro that violated community guidelines for COVID-19, including one video in which he claimed hydroxychloroquine was curing COVID-19 worldwide.
  • The company also removed dozens of accounts, some used by Bolsonaro's employees and two of his lawmaker sons, for engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior."

Statistics:

  • 14.6 million followers on Facebook
  • 19 million followers on Instagram
  • Hundreds of thousands of views on Bolsonaro's live broadcasts
  • 17 American media organizations published stories based on internal company documents showing Facebook's failure to adequately deal with misinformation
  • 3 days elapsed before the Bolsonaro live broadcast was removed
  • 1 red alert issued by Interpol in response to the dissemination of allegedly false news

Sources:

  • Facebook's press office
  • The Associated Press
  • Aos Fatos
  • Supreme Court's Justice Alexandre de Moraes
  • Frances Haugen's legal counsel
  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
  • Consortium of news organizations, including the AP.

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