Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey broke his silence with a philosophical Twitter thread defending his company’s ban of President Donald Trump as the right decision, although he warned that it could set a dangerous precedent.
When Twitter called out Trump’s incitement to violence, Dorsey said the company faced an “extraordinary and untenable circumstance” with respect to public safety.
“I believe this was the right decision for Twitter,” Dorsey wrote.
I believe this was the right decision for Twitter. We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety. Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all.
— jack (@jack) January 14, 2021
But such bans, he said, also point up Twitter’s “failure” to create an open and healthy space for what Dorsey calls the “global public conversation.”
In effect, he suggested, taking extreme steps with public figures actions such as banning Trump highlight the extraordinary power that companies like his can wield — and the collateral damage that such actions can lead to.
The Twitter co-founder, however, had little specific to say about how his platform or other Big Tech companies could avoid such choices in the future.
Read more:
Twitter conspiring ‘to silence me,’ Trump says after Twitter deletes @POTUS tweets
-
Trump becomes first US President to be impeached twice
President Donald Trump was impeached by the US House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly ... World News -
YouTube removes President Trump’s latest video, bans fresh content for seven days
US civil rights groups will organize an advertiser boycott against Alphabet’s YouTube if it does not remove President Donald Trump’s channel, the ... Digital -
Trump takes no responsibility for US Capitol riot: All I said was totally appropriate
US President Donald Trump took no responsibility for his part in instigating a violent insurrection at the US Capitol last week, which led to the ... World News