Plandemic: YouTube, Facebook and other platforms rush to remove viral conspiracy theory pushing baseless claims about coronavirus

Video includes false suggestion that wearing a mask makes people sick

(KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Facebook, YouTube and other tech platforms are rushing to remove a viral video called "Plandemic" that promotes conspiracy theories about the coronavirus outbreak.

The 26-minute video has become a huge success after being uploaded and then re-uploaded in an attempt to spread it across the internet.

It is primarily made up of claims in support of anti-vaccination and other unscientific and unsubstantiated claims about the pandemic.

The video features Judy Mikovits, an anti-vaxx activist. In the video she says that wearing masks activates the coronavirus within people, without providing evidence, and criticises orders to stay away from beaches.

"Suggesting that wearing a mask can make you sick could lead to imminent harm, so we're removing the video," Facebook said.

Mikovits could not be reached for comment, while producers of the video did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported.

In the video, Mikovits also describes the coronavirus as a conspiracy among people trying to profit from vaccines and raises concerns about vaccines. She says anyone who has ever received a flu vaccine had a coronavirus injected into them, without providing evidence.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, emerged in late 2019 and there is no known vaccine and or cure for it. Vaccines are available for seasonal flu, which is caused by a separate virus.

YouTube said it was working to keep the video off its service in accordance with its rules against "content that includes medically unsubstantiated diagnostic advice" about the coronavirus and the related respiratory illness COVID-19.

But late on Thursday, slightly edited copies of the original video remained available on YouTube.

Twitter Inc said it had blocked users from using the hashtags #PlagueOfCorruption and #Plandemicmovie, but said that content in a shorter clip posted on its service did not violate its policy against COVID-19 misinformation.

The companies have been under pressure from the World Health Organization and other health authorities around the world to police harmful content and misinformation about the pandemic.

While the companies have dedicated workers to address the challenge, misinformation continues to flow, including from groups growing frustrated with business closures and stay-at-home orders and taking to social media to argue against them.

Additional reporting by Reuters