{"id":18948,"date":"2020-05-31T05:08:40","date_gmt":"2020-05-31T05:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rbsitsoftwaresolution.com\/blog\/twitter-screens-trumps-minneapolis-threat-tweet-for-glorifying-violence.html"},"modified":"2020-05-31T05:08:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-31T05:08:40","slug":"twitter-screens-trumps-minneapolis-threat-tweet-for-glorifying-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbsitsoftwaresolution.in\/blog\/twitter-screens-trumps-minneapolis-threat-tweet-for-glorifying-violence.html","title":{"rendered":"Twitter screens Trump\u2019s Minneapolis threat-tweet for glorifying violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

After applying a fact-checking label\u00a0Tuesday<\/a> to a misleading vote-by-mail tweet made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Twitter is on a roll and has labeled another of the president\u2019s tweets \u2014 this time screening his words from casual view with what it calls a \u201cpublic interest notice\u201d that states the tweet violated its rules about glorifying violence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the tweet appears without further interaction (second tweet in the below screengrab):<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The public interest notice replaces the substance of what Trump wrote, meaning a user has to actively click through to view the offending tweet.<\/p>\n

Engagement options are also limited as a result by this label, meaning users can only retweet the offending tweet with a comment; they cannot like it, reply to it or vanilla retweet it.<\/p>\n

Twitter\u2019s notice goes on to explain why it has not removed the offending tweet entirely \u2014 and this is where the public interest element of the policy kicks in \u2014 with the company writing: \u201cTwitter has determined that it may be in the public\u2019s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Twitter <\/a> appears to be shrugging off the president\u2019s decision yesterday<\/a> to sign an executive order targeting the legal shield that internet companies rely on to protect them from liability for user-created content \u2014 doubling down on displeasing Trump, who has accused social media platforms generally of deliberately suppressing conservative views despite plenty of evidence<\/a> that ad-targeting platform algorithms actually boost outrage-fuelled content and views \u2014 which tends, conversely, to amplify conservative viewpoints.<\/p>\n

In the latest clash, Trump had tweeted in reference to violent demonstrations taking place in Minneapolis sparked by the killing of a black man, George Floyd<\/a>, by a white police officer \u2014 with the president claiming that \u201cTHUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd\u201d before threatening to send in the \u201cMilitary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!\u201d Trump added \u2014 making a bald threat to use military force against civilians.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Twitter has wrestled with the issue of how to handle world leaders who break its content rules for years. Most often as a result of Trump, who routinely uses its platform to bully all manner of targets \u2014 from rival politicians to hated journalists, disobedient business leaders and even actors who displease him \u2014 as well as to dispense direct and sometimes violent threats.<\/p>\n

Since being elected, Trump has also used Twitter\u2019s global platform as a foreign policy weapon, firing military threats at the likes of North Korea and Iran in tweet form.<\/p>\n

Back in 2018, for example, he teased North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with button-pushing nuclear destruction (see below tweet) \u2014 before going on to \u201cfall in love<\/a>\u201d with the dictator when he met him in person.<\/p>\n

\n

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the \u201cNuclear Button is on his desk at all times.\u201d 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!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Twitter\u2019s go-to defence for not taking offending Trump tweets down in the past has been that, as U.S. president, the substance of what the man tweets \u2014 however mad, bad and dangerous \u2014 is inherently newsworthy.<\/p>\n

However, more recently, the company has created a policy tool that allows it to intervene \u2014 defining terms last summer around \u201cpublic interest\u201d content on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It warned then (almost a full year ago, in June 2019) that it might<\/em> place a public interest notice on tweets that would otherwise violate its rules (and therefore merit a takedown) \u2014 in order to \u201cto provide additional context and clarity,\u201d rather than removing the offensive tweet.<\/p>\n

Fast forward a year and the tech giant has started applying labels to Trump\u2019s tweets \u2014 beginning with a fact-check label earlier this week, related to the forthcoming U.S. election, and following up now with a public interest notice related to Trump glorifying violence.<\/p>\n

So, finally, the tech giant seems to be inching toward drawing a limit-line around Trump in near real time.<\/p>\n

Explaining its decision to badge the U.S. president\u2019s threat to order the military to shoot looters in Minneapolis, the company writes: \u201cThis Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

We have placed a public interest notice on this Tweet from @realdonaldtrump<\/a>. https:\/\/t.co\/6RHX56G2zt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) May 29, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts, but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be able to see the Tweet given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance,\u201d Twitter goes on.<\/p>\n

It also links to its policy against tweets that glorify violence<\/a> \u2014 which states unequivocally [in bold]: \u201cYou may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in June<\/a>, when Twitter announced the \u201cabusive behavior\u201d label, it also warned that tweets that get screened with a public interest notice will not benefit from any algorithmic acceleration, writing: \u201cWe\u2019ll also take steps to make sure the Tweet is not algorithmically elevated on our service, to strike the right balance between enabling free expression, fostering accountability and reducing the potential harm caused by these Tweets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However the newsworthiness of Twitter\u2019s decision to finally apply its own rules vis-a-vis Trump will ensure there\u2019s plenty of non-algorithmic amplification (and no little irony<\/a>).<\/p>\n

We reached out to the company with questions about its decision to apply a public interest screen on Trump\u2019s latest tweet but at the time of writing it had not responded.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night<\/a>, Twitter CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey, put out a series of tweets defending its decision to apply a fact-check label to Trump\u2019s earlier misleading tweets about vote-by-mail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis does not make us an \u2018arbiter of truth,’\u201d wrote Dorsey. \u201cOur intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that\u2019s me. Please leave our employees out of this. We\u2019ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make.<\/p>\n

\u2014 jack (@jack) May 28, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Dorsey\u2019s remarks followed pointed comments made by Facebook <\/a> CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Fox News, seeking to contrast Facebook\u2019s claimed \u201cneutrality\u201d when policing its platform with Twitter\u2019s policy of taking a stance on issues such as political advertising (which Twitter does not allow<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cI just believe strongly that Facebook shouldn\u2019t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,\u201d Zuckerberg told the conservative news station. \u201cPrivate companies \u2026 especially these platform companies, shouldn\u2019t be in the position of doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s notable that Dorsey used Zuckerberg\u2019s exact turn of phrase \u2014 \u201carbiter of truth\u201d \u2014 to reject Facebook\u2019s attack on Twitter\u2019s policy as a straw man argument.<\/p>\n

Update I, Trump reacts: <\/strong>In early reaction to Twitter\u2019s move the Trump administration has now quote-retweeted the offending tweet from the official White House Twitter account \u2014 reamplifying the president\u2019s violent threat.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThese THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won\u2019t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/GDwAydcAOw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 29, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Trump has also reiterated his threat to regulate social media by revoking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in a new series of tweets this morning \u2014 accusing Twitter of ignoring \u201clies propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Twitter is doing nothing about all of the lies propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party. They have targeted Republicans, Conservatives the President of the United States. Section 230 should be revoked by Congress. Until then, it will be regulated!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Update II, Whack-a-mole: <\/strong> Twitter has now screened the quote-tweeted copy of Trump\u2019s tweet that the administration sent from the White House Twitter account.<\/p><\/p>\n

Article source: http:\/\/feedproxy.google.com\/~r\/techcrunch\/social\/~3\/9LwGWUolyys\/<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After applying a fact-checking label\u00a0Tuesday to a misleading vote-by-mail tweet made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Twitter is on a roll and has labeled another of the president\u2019s tweets \u2014 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,7,14,15,6,12,11],"class_list":["post-18948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-update","tag-computer-news","tag-downloads","tag-microsoft-download-news","tag-networking-updates","tag-technology-update","tag-wordpress-plugin-download","tag-wordpress-theme-download"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t