Jack Dorsey: The Twitter CEO says Trump’s ban was right, but it sets a “dangerous” precedent

Jack Dorsey: The Twitter CEO says Trump’s ban was right, but it sets a “dangerous” precedent

by
“I believe that was the right decision for Twitter,” said Dorsey in a series of 13 posts on his platform, citing “extraordinary and unsustainable” circumstances after Trump incited a riot at the United States Capitol last week, an event that forced the social media company to “focus all of our actions on public security”.

“I don’t celebrate or feel proud that we have to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here,” said Dorsey. “The offline damage as a result of speaking online is proven to be real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all else.”

In the past four years, Twitter (TWTR) it was central to Trump’s presidency, a fact that also benefited the company in the form of countless hours of user engagement. Twitter took a light approach to moderating his account, often arguing that as a public official, Trump should be given ample freedom to speak. But the Capitol riot led to the ban.

Dorsey struggled with the implications of the decision in his posts, admitting that “having to ban an account has real and significant ramifications.” Removing users, he said, fragments the public conversation and divides people.

“Although there are clear and obvious exceptions, I think the ban is our failure to promote healthy conversation. It is a time to reflect on our operations and the environment around us,” he said.

The CEO also addressed similar actions taken by other social media companies, such as Facebook (FB) and Snapchat (SNAP), to ban the president. These actions were not coordinated, said Dorsey, but they pose a challenge for the technology industry.

“Verification and accountability for this power has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is a small part of the larger public conversation that takes place on the Internet,” he said. “If people don’t agree with our rules and enforcement, they can just look for another Internet service.”

The technology industry used 'the nuclear option' to crack down on violent groups that organize online

“This concept was challenged last week, when several key Internet tool providers also decided not to host what they considered to be dangerous,” he continued.

Amazon (AMZN) effectively killed Parler, a platform favored by the far right, when he canceled his web hosting contract.

The decision to ban the president from Twitter had immediate consequences: Trump lost access to more than 88 million followers and the change exposed the company to Republican censorship complaints. Democrats criticized the role of social media in enabling Trump and warned of new legislation to regulate the technology industry.

Dorsey suggested in his posts that the tech industry’s actions could also have long-term implications.

“This moment may require that dynamic, but in the long run it will be destructive to the noble purpose and ideals of the open Internet. A company that makes the decision to moderate is different from a government that removes access, but may feel the same way” said Dorsey.

“Yes, we all need to look critically at inconsistencies in our policy and enforcement. Yes, we need to look at how our service can encourage distraction and harm. Yes, we need more transparency in our moderation operations. All of this cannot erode a global internet free and open “, he added.

– Brian Fung contributed reporting.

.Source