Inside Twitter’s decision to cut off Donald Trump
Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of Twitter, had reservations about locking US President Donald Trump s account. But the calls for violence that his tweets provoked were too overwhelming. New York Times January 17, 2021 / 09:08 AM IST
File image: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey gives his opening statement remotely during the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing Does Section 230 s Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior? , on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, United States on October 28, 2020. (Image: Greg Nash/Pool via Reuters)
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive, was working remotely on a private island in French Polynesia frequented by celebrities escaping the paparazzi when a phone call interrupted him Jan. 6.
Why was the law passed? How has the industry reacted to the opposition?
The story so far: In the U.S., Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) regulates online publication and liability. Specifically, the 1996 law states: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” Author and cybersecurity lawyer Jeff Kosseff describes the law as ‘the 26 words that created the Internet’. But the legislation has come in the crosshairs of both Republicans and Democrats. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for it to be repealed, including days ago, when he was suspended first temporarily and then indefinitely by social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook. President-elect Joe Biden has also called for the law’s repeal.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has defended his company's decision to ban President Donald Trump, while acknowledging that the move stems from its failure to promote "healthy" conversations and sets a "dangerous" precedent.
Social media giant Facebook is ramping up its campaign to end misinformation on its platforms.
The company will remove any content that includes the phrase “Stop the steal” on both Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears on a monitor as he testifies remotely during October’s virtual Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee “Does Section 230’s Sweeping Immunity Enable Big Tech Bad Behavior?” hearing on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)
The move comes after last week’s insurrection at Capitol Hill which saw five people killed, including a Capitol police officer.
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