Updated Jul 20, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Marjorie Taylor Greene's Twitter account suspended for COVID misinformation

Marjorie Taylor Green

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the U.S. Capitol in June. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Twitter announced Monday that it's suspending the account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for 12 hours.

Driving the news: "We took enforcement action on the account you referenced (@mtgreenee) for violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically the COVID-19 misleading information policy," Twitter said in an emailed statement.

Of note: The conservative Greene has been an outspoken critic of pandemic measures and apologized last month following outrage after she compared mask mandates in the House to the Holocaust.

  • She was removed from her committee assignments in February over her past endorsement of baseless conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric against Democrats.
  • Greene's suspension comes days after President Biden said social media platforms were "killing people" by allowing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on their sites. He clarified earlier Monday that he meant those who post vaccine misinformation were to blame.

Context: Twitter announced in March it was escalating enforcement action on pandemic misinformation over repeated violations of its policy, including a 12-hour suspension.

  • This new policy saw Twitter suspend Greene's account without explanation for 12 hours that month. The company later said this was due to an automated technology error.

The big picture: Some conservative lawmakers, along with media figures, have complained that Big Tech companies intentionally censor their viewpoints and used this argument in their push for regulation.

  • However, a study in February found these claims to be "a form of disinformation."
  • Greene could not immediately be reached for comment on the Twitter suspension, which was first reported by the New York Times.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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