Twitter blasted over Salmond trial scandal
Social media giant allows troll to break law and name accuser
TWITTER has been blasted for not taking down a post which identified a woman who accused Alex Salmond of sexual assault.
But the social media giant said it was not a violation of its policy.
TWITTER has been blasted after failing to take down a post which identified one of the women who accused Alex Salmond of sexual assault.
An anonymous poster identified the woman on Twitter, but the multi-billion pound social media giant claimed the move was not a violation of its policy.
The platform has now been urged to remove the post.
A High Court judge imposed a strict order making it against the law for anyone to identify any of the accusers in the Salmond sex assault case.
A source close to the woman told the Record: “Twitter is being grossly irresponsible and ignoring its responsibilities to uphold the law. It is frankly shocking they continue to allow trolls to name witnesses who have been guaranteed anonymity by the courts.
“The complainants in the Alex Salmond sexual misconduct trial have been subject to months of online and public attacks. Twitter needs to act now.”
Salmond, first minister between 2007 and 2014, was acquitted after a trial last year of sexually assaulting nine women, including a charge of attempted rape.
It is a criminal offence to publish the identities of the women after a court order was made by the judge.
Despite this protection, an anonymous Twitter user identified a woman as one of Salmond’s accusers in a social media post. She was also taunted in other posts.
She complained to Twitter about the breach and said she believed her safety was at risk.
However, Twitter responded to the woman: “We’re writing to let you know that after reviewing the available information, we didn’t find a violation of our rules in the content you reported.
“We appreciate that you let us know what happened, and encourage you to reach out again in the future if you see any potential violations.”
Twitter’s website says its rules exist to ensure people can participate in public conversation “freely and safely”.
The platform specifically singles out violence, abuse and harassment, and breaches of privacy as conduct that is not allowed.
The woman has alerted Police Scotland to the tweets.
Social media firms have been criticised for failing to clamp down on hate speech and allowing conspiracy theories to flourish.
Twitter banned US president Donald Trump over inflammatory comments on the Capitol Hill riots, but critics say the platform should have acted years ago.
Last night, Twitter’s decision to allow the post to remain sparked fury among senior politicians. Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: “This is a serious incident
It’s shocking they still allow trolls to name witnesses SOURCE CLOSE TO THE COMPLAINANT
that requires immediate action. The anonymity of the accusers must be protected and it is appalling someone has attempted to reveal their details on the internet.
“The anonymity of the accusers is protected by a court order and the Crown Office must decide whether this has been breached.
“Social media giants like Twitter have an obligation to ensure users do not break the law or share sensitive information.
“I hope the company acts to terminate the unwelcome activity of this anonymous account.”
Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie said:
“Providing anonymity to complainers is essential but it can be increasingly challenging to ensure anonymity is maintained. The Scottish Government must immediately engage with social media companies on this issue, ensuring that they are aware of their responsibilities.
“More fundamentally, a strategy on protecting anonymity in the social media age needs to be developed.”
Twitter has been contacted for comment.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We confirm that we have received a complaint, and that it is currently being investigated.”