Facebook has joined other social media platforms in banning a documentary-style video titled “Plandemic,” which includes claims that wearing a face mask increases the odds of catching COVID-19.
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The 26-minute video has gone viral and includes several theories, including another that shelter-in-place orders are not helping to stem the spread of the virus.
The video also claims that the coronavirus, which first emerged Dec. 1, 2019, in Wuhan, China, was invented in a laboratory in order to make money for pharmaceutical companies peddling vaccines.
Judy Mikovits, a researcher who questions the safety of vaccines, makes many of the claims in the video, which had been watched more than a million times before it was removed. “The video has been shared by celebrities, including the comedian Larry the Cable Guy, NFL players and Instagram influencers with millions of followers,” according to NBC.
“Suggesting that wearing a mask can make you sick could lead to imminent harm, so we’re removing the video,” Facebook told Reuters.
“YouTube told CNBC the video was removed for making claims about a cure for COVID-19 that is not backed by health officials,” The Hill reported.
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Vimeo told The Washington Post the company “stands firm in keeping our platform safe from content that spreads harmful and misleading health information. The video in question has been removed … for violating these very policies.”
Twitter also blocked the hashtags #PlagueofCorruption and #PlandemicMovie from trends and search.
