Why won't Twitter remove controversial tweets?
What's the story
Twitter recently released a statement explaining why it won't block tweets from world leaders, although they might be controversial. Blocking world leaders and removing controversial tweets "would hide important information people should be able to see and debate," it explained in a blog post. The company had defended its decision to not delete US President Donald Trump's controversial tweets on North Korea last year.
Details
What does Twitter say?
The statement from Twitter explained that the company aims to advance "public and global conversations." "We review tweets by leaders within the political context that defines them, and enforce our rules accordingly," it explained. It added that Twitter's growth or review of tweets is "not influenced by a single person" and that the company strives to "remain unbiased, with public interest in mind."
Context
When Trump's tweets bring the world closer to nuclear war
Trump has provoked North Korea numerous times on Twitter in 2017. In September 2017, he tweeted that Rocket man (Kim Jong-un) won't be around for long. In October 2017, he rejected diplomatic options in dealing with the North Korea crisis and tweeted "only one thing will work with North Korea." Pyongyang has responded to Trump's provocations with aggressive nuclear testing to perfect their capabilities.
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Why shouldn't world leaders tweets be removed?
"Elected world leaders play a critical role in advancing global conversation because of their outsized impact on our society........Blocking them or removing their tweets would not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions," Twitter explained.