Discord bans 'anti-vaccination content' and 'misleading' Covid-19 information
pcgamer.comDiscord is updating its community guidelines with a clause that bans sharing information it deems «false or misleading» and «likely to cause physical or societal harm» if acted upon. The rule could apply to lots of information, but Covid-19 rhetoric is the primary example given. The chat service doesn't want to be a source for anti-vaccination material or other advice not accepted by the medical community, such as the use of unproven home remedies.
Put briefly, Discord will not allow individuals to «post, promote, or organize communities around false or misleading health information that is likely to result in harm,» writes Discord senior platform policy specialist Alex Anderson in a blog post explaining the update.
Discord defines false or misleading health information as being any health information which «directly and unequivocally contradicts the most recent consensus reached by the medical community,» and it offers a surprising amount of detail on what it means by that.
The following is a list of topics Discord warns not to make «false or misleading» claims about:
On its own, the list could be construed as a blanket prohibition on expressing distrust in any local health mandate or even discussing «alternative» traditional medicines. However, Anderson says that Discord will consider context like intent, and won't take action unless it believes messages are «likely to cause some form of harm.»
«This policy is not intended to be punitive of polarizing or controversial viewpoints,» he writes. «We allow the sharing of personal health experiences; opinions and commentary (so long as such views are based in fact and will not lead to harm); good-faith discussions about medical science and research; content intended to
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