Twitter tackles Trump
Twitter released a blog this week that told us something we already knew – world leaders will be treated differently on the social network.
The post states that tweets from world leaders that break its rules may be quarantined.
Meaning users will not be able to like, reply, share, or retweet the tweet in question. However, Twitter admitted it will stop short of removing the offending tweet or blocking the account.
This news builds on a policy announcement the social network made in June, when it revealed that rule-breaking tweets from world leaders would ‘‘remain on Twitter in the public interest’’.
‘‘The Twitter Rules’’ are actually pretty clear. Comprehensive policies discourage violence, harassment, hateful conduct and other similar behaviours but there has always been the argument for ‘‘freedom of speech’’ on social platforms.
Twitter said: ‘‘Direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy sabre-rattling on economic or military issues are generally not in violation of the Twitter rules.’’
Oddly, users will still be able to interact with the quarantined tweets by adding opinion and reactions via the ‘‘retweet with comment’’ feature.
The move follows sustained pressure from Democrats in the US, calling for Twitter to take action against alleged inaccurate or abusive language from their political rivals.
Twitter has banned several high-profile users in the past for breaking its rules. Most notable are the temporary bans of YouTuber PewDiePie for breaking Twitter’s rules on promoting ‘‘organisations or individuals associated with promoting hate’’ after making a joke about ISIS, and the far-right political commentator, Milo Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Twitter in 2016 for ‘‘participating in or inciting targeted abuse of individuals’’ after a volley of racist abuse targeting the actor Leslie Jones.