In 2021, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine movement, had his Instagram account suspended for spreading misleading health claims. However, Instagram recently reversed this decision and reinstated Kennedy’s account. Kennedy, who is the nephew of late President John F. Kennedy, is running for president as a Democratic candidate challenging President Biden.
The popular photo-sharing platform initially removed Kennedy’s account due to his repeated sharing of debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines. Additionally, his nonprofit organization, Children’s Health Defense, had its account taken down by Instagram in 2022 for spreading medical misinformation. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, both accounts gained notoriety for spreading false and misleading information about the virus and vaccines.
Instagram’s decision to reinstate Kennedy’s personal account came after his announcement in April that he would be running for president. However, Facebook and Instagram are still maintaining their suspensions against his organization, Children’s Health Defense. Kennedy’s personal account, now verified, had over 760,000 followers as of Sunday afternoon.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has faced criticism for its stance on allowing political leaders to engage with posts without fact-checking or cracking down on misleading statements and advertisements. Kennedy, in a tweet, accused Instagram of trying to silence him and described the move as undemocratic. However, Meta stated that the restriction on Kennedy’s campaign Instagram account was a mistake and it has been resolved.
Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, responded to Kennedy’s tweet by inviting him to participate in an audio discussion on the platform. Kennedy accepted the invitation, and the conversation is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Musk has previously hosted a similar event with Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, who launched his White House campaign on Twitter.
Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of Twitter, who initially supported Musk’s vision for the platform but later became critical, praised Kennedy’s candidacy in a separate tweet. Dorsey stated that Kennedy can and will defeat former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2024, without mentioning President Biden.
Republicans have frequently accused social networks like Facebook and Instagram of censoring conservative viewpoints, although the platforms deny this claim. GOP officials have been increasingly critical of tech companies’ handling of coronavirus misinformation during the pandemic. Musk, who reversed Twitter’s policies on COVID-19 misinformation after taking over the platform, has become an ally to Republicans, fueling claims of anti-conservative bias in Silicon Valley.