Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey fears that taking steps to permanently suspend President Donald Trump from the platform “sets a precedent that I consider dangerous: the power that an individual or company has over a part of the global public conversation.”
Dorsey called the ban “a failure of ours” in a series of tweets on Wednesday night. “Having to take these actions fragments the public conversation. They divide us, ”he said.
His comments came exactly a week after a crowd of pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol building and stormed on Wednesday, January 6. Five people died during the insurrection attempt, including a US Capitol policeman, and dozens more were injured.
Dorsey explained the decision to ban Trump as a forced action due to the offline effect of Trump’s words. “The offline damage as a result of speaking online is proven to be real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all,” he said. “I believe that was the right decision for Twitter.”
Before January 6, Trump repeatedly used his massive Twitter footprint to promote the “Save America” protest event. “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, it will be wild!” Trump tweeted in late December.
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On the day of the event, Trump spoke to his supporters in person. “We are going to walk to the Capitol and cheer for our brave senators, and congressmen and women,” he said. “We are probably not going to root for some of them so much, because you will never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
While the attack was taking place, the president accessed Twitter to address his supporters: “These are the things and events that happen when an overwhelming and sacred electoral victory is so unceremoniously and cruelly removed from great patriots that they have been treated badly and unfairly. so long, “he said in a tweet that was later removed.
Trump’s Twitter account was suspended permanently on Friday night. When Trump tried to use other accounts associated with his office and political campaign, such as @POTUS and @TeamTrump, these messages were removed by Twitter.
Twitter policing of the incumbent U.S. President’s Twitter account is unprecedented and marks a major shift in moderation for Trump’s favorite social media company.
Twitter was among several important technology platforms to suspend or ban the use of Trump after the attack on the United States Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch and Instagram have enacted some form of Trump ban, and technology platforms that were used in part to organize the attack – like Parler and Gab – are also facing bans.
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