Twitter: We’re Not Going to Ban Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/AP
The company reaffirmed it's somewhat unclear terms of service.
Twitter released a short statement on its blog today (Jan. 5), seemingly in response to calls for the social network to ban Donald Trump for his incendiary posts.
Reaffirming its somewhat unclear terms of service, Twitter said that world leaders are effectively above being blocked from the service because their tweets are “important information people should be able to see and debate.” Such as comparing the size of the button that your deploys your country’s nuclear arsenal to another leader’s button.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
The company said that “no one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth,” although Twitter’s stock price is up about 33%, to $24.32, since Trump was voted into office.
Twitter’s entire statement:
There’s been a lot of discussion about political figures and world leaders on Twitter, and we want to share our stance.
Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. Elected world leaders play a critical role in that conversation because of their outsized impact on our society.
Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets, would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions.
We review Tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly. No one person’s account drives Twitter’s growth, or influences these decisions. We work hard to remain unbiased with the public interest in mind.
We are working to make Twitter the best place to see and freely discuss everything that matters. We believe that’s the best way to help our society make progress.