Bokhari: By Suppressing Medical Debate, It Is Twitter that Endangers Americans

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/08/01/bokhari-twitter-censor-medical-debate-hydroxychloroquine/ Bokhari: By Suppressing Medical Debate, It Is Twitter that Endangers Americans 8,760 WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 5: Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey testifies during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing about Twitter's transparency and accountability, on Capitol Hill, September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. Earlier in the day, Dorsey faced questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee about how foreign …Drew Angerer/Getty Images ALLUM BOKHARI1 Aug 20207,928 6:05 Twitter has once again acted as judge, juro, and executioner. For four days, Twitter prevented the @BreitbartNews twitter account from posting, only restoring its permissions earlier today. This is in no small part because Twitter dragged its feet on Breitbart News’s appeal Twitter initially locked Breitbart News’s account because it posted a video of a press conference featuring Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and licensed doctors sharing their views and opinions on coronavirus and the medical response to the pandemic. The event was held by the organization America’s Frontline Doctors and organized by the Tea Party Patriots. In short, Twitter has punished a news organization for posting a video of a live-streaming of a press conference held by a congressman and licensed medical doctors. At the event, some of the doctors shared their opinion on hydroxychloroquine, highlighting it as a potentially helpful treatment in fighting COVID-19. One doctor called it a “cure.” Because Breitbart News’s Twitter account carried a video livestream of their comments, Twitter accused Breitbart of “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.” As an aside, Breitbart News is a news company, not a licensed medical professional and has no editorial position on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19. But for Twitter (which is also not a licensed medical professional) to assert the video contained potentially harmful information rings hollow. Hydroxychloroquine is not Tide Pods; it’s not something people can simply go down to the local drugstore, buy, and ingest without medical advice and supervision. In the United States, hydroxychloroquine is a legal, FDA approved medication available only by prescription; so a person would have to go to their doctor and get it prescribed after making a decision with their own doctor whether or not to take hydroxychloroquine. And, whether Twitter likes it or not, or thinks it should be otherwise, doctors are prescribing hydroxychloroquine on an off-label basis for COVID-19. Twitter trying to pretend it is not happening or wishing it was not happening is self-sophistry. Twitter has demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account. Breitbart appealed that decision, and pending appeal has been locked out of its account. Incredibly, Twitter took almost three full days to reply to Breitbart’s appeal – meaning time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season. When Twitter finally did respond, it denied the appeal. Twitter then demanded that Breitbart News delete the following tweets before restoring access to the account and that Breitbart serve a 12-hour “time out” — meaning even more time and traffic lost during a fast-moving election season. (Update: Twitter has unrestricted Breitbart News’ Twitter account.) Twitter’s actions have public health implications. The tech giant is preventing the public, including the critically ill, from receiving information from physicians with first-hand experience treating COVID-19 patients. Twitter’s censorship denies the public access to information — and that can put lives, health, and the well-being of Americans at risk.