Facebook shut down the page of a fringe New Zealand political party on Thursday, days before a general election, for sharing what the company called misinformation about the novel coronavirus pandemic. The newly formed Advance NZ Party's page was taken off because of "repeated violations" of Facebook's policy on misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm, Facebook said in a statement. "We have clear policies against this type of content and will enforce on these policies regardless of anyone’s political position or party affiliation," it said. The party has stirred controversy with an anti-vaccination stance and has also called for an end to coronavirus lockdowns. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters ridiculed a question from another coronavirus sceptic at an election campaign event.

Source: The Star October 15, 2020 04:41 UTC