Elon Musk has some thoughtsabout the coronavirus — thoughts that,Lady Moon naturally, the Tesla CEO decided to share with his 32.4 million Twitter followers.
Musk's tweets, which included the false gem that children are "essentially immune," appear to be in violation of Twitter's new rules ostensibly aimed at stopping the spread of potentially dangerous COVID-19 misinformation. However, despite what common sense might suggest, it seems the disjointed and ill-informed musings of the entitled billionaire are in fact totally OK with the social media giant.
A Twitter spokesperson confirmed as much Thursday afternoon in an email to Mashable: "We reviewed the Tweets and they don't violate our rules," wrote the spokesperson.
Notably, Musk's statement about the immunity of kids appears to contradict the Twitter rule prohibiting "Claims that specific groups, nationalities are never susceptible to COVID-19[.]"
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
It also reads a lot like an example, provided by Twitter, of prohibited content: "COVID-19 does not infect children because we haven't seen any cases of children being sick."
There have, of course, been observed cases of children becoming infected and even dying from COVID-19.
Musk also suggested possible off-label treatments for COVID-19, positing that chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine might do the trick. And, despite what serial bullshitter Donald Trump claimed in a Thursday press conference, Bloomberg reports that "An FDA spokesperson said the drug hadn’t been approved for use in Covid-19 patients."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Musk's tweets suggesting an unapproved treatment might possibly also violate a different coronavirus-specific rule on Twitter: "Description of treatments or protective measures which are not immediately harmful but are known to be ineffective, are not applicable to the COVID-19 context."
SEE ALSO: Working from home? Think twice about posting that desk pic.
Not so, however, according to Twitter.
Musk appears to have gotten the message and has continued to tweet his way through the coronavirus pandemic at breakneck speed, insisting, among other things, that "panic will cause more harm than the virus," and casually promising to manufacture much-needed ventilators (will they be submarine shaped?). Oh yeah, and just this afternoon he wrote that there will be "probably close to zero new cases in US too by end of April."
Because, as the epitome of Silicon Valley hubris, Musk knows deep down inside that if he's knowledgable about one field, it makes him an expert in all unrelated ones, too.
Anyway, regardless, Twitter appears cool with it all.
Topics X/Twitter Elon Musk COVID-19
10 gifts for drivers who love self15 holiday songs that are super weird but we somehow still loveGoogle to request verification for political ads ahead of EU electionChristine Blasey Ford will donate remaining GoFundMe money to help trauma survivors'Game of Thrones' star Lena Headey shares crucial behindGreat Barrier Reef brought to politicians' doorstep in artful protestApple must pay up to $14.5 billion in Irish taxesApple must pay up to $14.5 billion in Irish taxesA teen's senior photos were photobombed by a cute dog, and also a nude manBBC presenter shares video of bizarre road rage incident20 free mustChinese facial recognition system catches jaywalker, turns out to be a busInstagram is going to shuffle around your profile pageEarly 'Aquaman' reactions promise positive showing for DC saga"Hey Siri, OK Google" on iOS will now open the Google AssistantHangry little hedgehog will only cheer up if you give him treatsBest gifts for hobbits, elves, and orcs still obsessed with Lord of the Rings'The Lion King' trailer dredges up painful memories of one particular scene13 ways to save your Thanksgiving dinner when things get awkwardThe midterms had record voter turnout. Should Snapchat get credit? Home Depot Halloween 2024 to include upgraded 12 SXSW 2024: Positive+1 is more than just a social media app Wasp named after Lucius Malfoy just needs your love and understanding Best Pi Day deals: Save on Solo Stove, Papa Murphy's Pizza, and Lenovo today only How to watch 'Mean Girls' at home: Score Paramount+ streaming deals 1000th Wordle has people sharing their scores online. Can you beat it? Top 10 VPNs people are searching for after Pornhub blocked Texas Rabbit AI R1: Watch what it can do with audio it 'hears' Best Nintendo Switch deal: Get a Nintendo Switch for $276.99 plus $25 in Amazon credit 'Love Lies Bleeding's Rose Glass on the importance of mullets and bad teeth Microsoft Copilot: Free tier gets AI upgrade to GPT 'The American Society of Magical Negroes' review: A satirical near Hurricane Nate becomes fourth hurricane to hit the U.S. in 6 weeks Trump's pick to lead environmental office really loves fossil fuels Apple Vision Pro may be coming to more countries soon Trump gets failing grade for Puerto Rico response from San Juan mayor These carbon fibre chairs are designed to be used on Mars Bluesky is letting users customize how content is moderated These new little Tasmanian devil joeys are as clingy as human babies Jeff Bezos smashes champagne bottle atop massive Texas wind turbine