Mark Slapinski
An Ontario doctor that is under investigation for spreading “misleading” information on Covid has been permanently banned from Twitter. Anyone that visits Dr. Patrick Phillips’ page will see the message “account suspended.”
Dr. Patrick Phillips is a prominent anti-Covid restriction advocate and doctor, currently practicing medicine in the small Ontario town of Englehart. He is known for taking a firm stance against mandatory vaccines and lockdowns. Dr. Phillips has compared Covid restrictions to the Holocaust on numerous occasions, and is currently facing a hearing to address alleged “professional misconduct.” According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario:
It is alleged that Dr. Phillips engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct and failed to maintain the standard of practice of the profession in relation to his communications, including communications on social media and other digital platforms, regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues. This includes making misleading, incorrect or inflammatory statements about vaccinations, treatments and public health measures for COVID-19. It is also alleged that Dr. Phillips is incompetent in relation to his communications.
According to one internet sleuth, Dr. Phillips made another reference to the Holocaust on the day of his suspension. Dr. Phillips appears to have shared a modified picture of Auschwitz, with the caption: “Would you ‘voluntarily’ go to a government COVID camp?”
In response to Dr. Patrick Phillips’ suspension, one user directed people to the doctor’s Gab account. Another user demanded that Twitter re-instate his Twitter account, stating the move was “blatant censorship.”
Last week, Dr. Phillips shared a video clip of Alex Jones spewing debunked claims on vaccines. Despite the factual errors in the video and the existence of at least one article debunking the claims in the video, Dr. Phillips did not remove the video. Alex Jones has a long history of spreading inaccurate information, specifically on vaccines. Alex Jones was banned from Twitter in 2018 for violations of the platform’s “abusive behaviour” policy.
Misinformation and disinformation on vaccines has frustrated social media companies for years, even prior to the pandemic. According to an article published in 2019 by the Harvard School of Public Health:
Social media platforms themselves struggle with misinformation and disinformation—stuck between trying to find and address the problem, and existing within a democratic system that tolerates different beliefs.
“The people who are spreading the information are always a few steps ahead—we are always in reactive mode.”
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another one sided article! Too bad the days of investigative journalism is long gone!