WHO Warns About the Dangers of Health Misinformation as Musk Takes Over Twitter

Mike Ryan
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg

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By Andy Hoffman and Clara Hernanz Lizarraga

April 26, 2022 at 5:37 PM UTC

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As billionaire Elon Musk nears a potential deal to buy Twitter Inc., a World Health Organization official warned of the dangers of health and vaccine misinformation on social media.

Misinformation costs lives, Mike Ryan, executive director of the health emergencies program at the WHO, said Tuesday in response to a reporter’s question regarding the offer from Musk, a self-described free-speech absolutist, to buy Twitter for about $44 billion.