As we previously discussed, Twitter has become a lightening rod for the free speech community — repeatedly accused of content-based censorship and a liberal bias. Twitter was recently accused of a departure from the policy of unfettered free speech in the filtering of negative comments against President Barack Obama. Then Twitter banned Milo Yiannopoulos in a very disturbing move against a conservative speaker. Now, Twitter is back in the news targeting another conservative. After releasing two viral videos, Project Veritas Founder and President James O’Keefe was barred from access to his Twitter account for 12 hours (with review for a permanent ban). Twitter again appears to have little explanation for suspending another conservative other than the content of his speech.
Shortly before his suspension, O’Keefe released a video showing Democratic Election Commissioner Alan Schulkin discussing voter fraud and making damaging comments concerning the election. The next day he released a video showing a Hillary Clinton staffer making embarrassing comments including how he could rip up Republican voter registration forms and not be reprimanded.
O’Keefe was only given notice reading “Hi James O’Keefe,Your account @JamesOKeefeIII has been locked. Please go to Twitter now to fix the issue with your account.” However, there was not explanation and only a reference to the rules page. Twitter has been previously accused to showing little concern for the due process of those banned from its site, including full explanations for cutting off users.
Once again, I find the pattern of suspensions of Twitter to be highly problematic. Twitter is an important site for social media and free speech. I hold no brief for O’Keefe and I have not watched his work. I realize that he is controversial and we have discussed past controversies. However, Twitter has developed a reputation among its critics for speech regulation with a particular penchant for cutting off conservatives.
Twitter later revealed that it was the second video of the Clinton staffer that was deemed to be “harassment” because he is shown saying “I think the bar of acceptable conduct in this campaign is pretty low. To be fired I would have to grab Emma’s ass twice and she would have to complain about it, I would have to sexually harass someone.” However, there is no allegation that the tape contains false information. I remain concerned over the lack of a clear rule. Would any undercover videotape be barred under this rule? Was there something about this videotape that distinguishes it from other embarrassing undercover stories?
What do you think?
Well, Twitter put a dyke SJW named Del Harvey in charge of some outfit called the ‘Trust and Safety Council. The net result of putting an odious sectary in charge of manners is that a breach of manners will be defined as the sort of thing which offends an odious sectary. Stupid is as stupid does.
What you’re forgetting Prof. Turley is that ‘liberal’ is now a signifier for the worldview of lawyers and school administrators, who don’t think of the people they deal with as equals and habitually tell them to shut up.
Kudos to the truth seekers. Go to James O’Keefe’s Twitter page and you’ll see, “I’m back!” He posted a short video paying homage to the thousands of people who tweeted their outrage.
Autumn, Sharyl Atkisson has become my go to person for straight news. She has a spot on metaphor for the MSM controlling the narrative for HRC. She calls it The Truman Show.
Thanks for the tip Nick. I’ll check her out.
Cuidado, JT. Cuidado.
RE: Concerning James O’Keefe and US Foreign Policy
http://wp.me/p30mf-50y
“video of the Clinton staffer ”
There’s your problem. Twitter can ban who they want, although I wish they’d stop calling themselves a free and open platform.
The solution for stopping harassment online is to just stop engaging trolls and haters. I realize that won’t happen with today’s breed of social justice martyr, but ignoring completely has worked since the beginning of time. Twitter users should try it.
Although I find what they are doing annoying, it is their company and they can do what they want. I wonder though, can they get in trouble for falsely advertising “free and open platform” when they are obviously not. Maybe this is another way to go after them.
The hypocrisy of these outfits, wanting it both ways, discriminating against conservatives while siding with gays over punishing wedding cake bakers. So much dishonesty!
Jim22,
This company has a stated policy which it is violating. They can be held to account for this.
If they want to ban anything which upsets the oligarchy, they can state that as their open policy. Here they are saying they have a policy, but they are actively violating it. Even corporations don’t get to sell shoddy goods without consequences!
” Even corporations don’t get to sell shoddy goods without consequences!”
Sure they do! Look at Wells Fargo, etc. And isn’t the DNC a corporation?
Actually, Twitter is a publicly traded corporation. The executives and managers are employees of the shareholders. They are hired to manage the assets on behalf of the shareholders and consequently they owe a fiduciary duty to shareholders to manage the assets properly.
There is something called the “network effect” associated with communication networks. Think of it like this. With a two person network there are only two options: “A” can call “B” and “B” can call “A”. But by adding only one more person to the network, the network becomes more valuable because the users have more options: In a three person network, “A” can call “B”, “A” can call “C”, “B” can call “A”, “B” can call “C”, “C” can call “A”, and “C” can call “B”. So, obviously, the more users the network has the more valuable it is.
By censoring and keeping people off the network, I wonder if a case can be made that Twitter management and executives are breeching their fiduciary duties to shareholders.
Twitter hardly the only one censoring…YouTube also does it…
YouTube of Hope Steffey posted by the Canton Rep paper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDRsCkc-9k0
Same video posted, but is ‘age restricted’…apparently not because of video content, but because of posters comments about the abuse
Peter Thiel financed Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit that bankrupted Gawker.
With a backer, maybe Milo could bankrupt Twitter, which sure needs a good spanking.
Twitter is for sale. Highly doubt it goes bankrupt. Maybe Trump can start an alt right twitter
A super majority of the electorate, pissed at the establishment, actually could fall into the category of alt-right. These include more and more Bernie supporters and legions of Trump Democrats, including blacks, Latinos and other minorities. The growing alt-right is morphing into an alt-electorate, and is in dire need of a name change. Whoever coined the name alt-right didn’t account for so many on the left identifying with it. Many more would have gone over by now if the name had been more welcoming to them.
Yes, it could have been a powerful force if the candidate had not been named Trump. Rand Paul probably could have done something constructive with it if Trump had not destroyed him in one of the early debates.
No, Rand Paul’s candidacy failed during calendar year 2015. He did not establish himself with a constituency which could produce a critical mass of support in primaries and caucuses, something Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Ben Carson (to a degree) managed to do. Neither did he manage Kasich’s feat of making just the right investments with his resources in early contests. Most of the candidates failed in the way Rand Paul failed and most fail that way during every such donnybrook.
It’s for sale and no one’s buying it, because the malicious fools have wrecked their brand.
At some point someone is going to come up with an alternative to Twitter. In the meantime I’d say Milo is doing just fine. He’s coming to Clemson this month and I wanted to see him – tickets were gone within hours! =) There are many alternatives to Twitter to getting the word out.
The racist creep was reinstated. Where is his fake pimp costume? The liar needs to get a job with Trump network already.
No way in hell is Milo racist. If he catches you lying or being dishonest, he will out you. Now if you just happen to be black, certainly wouldn’t make Milo racist. It just makes him honest.
Talking about that creeper, O’Keefe,
You’re a semi-literate buffoon. There are five a’s in raaaaacist.
I have watched several Milo speeches and he is not racist. He points out the stupidity of some of the BLM protesters and the fact that the Demoncrats have kept many blacks on the welfare plantation, but does not denigrate blacks overall.
Autumn – if you listen to the early Milo tapes you will find that he has a ‘thing’ for black men. He doesn’t want to be a queen for nothing. 😉
Paul, doesn’t surprise me that Milo doesn’t discriminate in the sack – he seems joyfully lascivious. But then I’ve always enjoyed queens. Did you ever see “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” or “Kinky Boots”? My Ma is a total fundamentalist and homophobe so I always delight in introducing her to some fun gay films when she visits me. “Torch Song Trilogy” is also great.
Even my surly cat loves Milo. Generally he breakfasts and slinks off to sleep the day away but when I put on Milo he comes right out and sits on the table next to my lap top. Yesterday he was actually laying across the keyboard. Too amusing!
racist [rey-sist]
noun
1. any person who disagrees with you
2. any caucasian
Just part of the military-industrial-media complex. One day, these media so invested in the Clintons will come to deeply regret their support of this corrupt politician. If another candidate wins, their investment is going to fracture. If this happens it will be reminiscent of the political cartoon showing President Jackson destroying the Bank of the United States with Nicholas Biddle as the devil running for his life–the columns of the bank toppling in the background. The same disarray will be had if the Clintons lose. In some ways the disruption will be welcome in a way similar to Greenspan’s notion of Creative Destruction, but this time the tempest will form in the political system.
If Trump wins, he might just boycott all of the MSM media from the White House, favoring only alternative media, effectively leading to a slow death for these evil networks. People want blood, and Trump can give it to them. Wouldn’t you love it, seeing guys like Lester Holt in the unemployment line? Who doesn’t believe Holt gave Hillary an advance copy of the debate questions? Her composure between Holt’s questions and rebuttal were the difference between day and night, as I saw it.
” People want blood, and Trump can give it to them.” vinegart. Don’t think Trump and his supporters will be able to legally assault anyone after the election as he is going to lose thanks to women voters. If they bloody and assault people they need to be arrested.
Figurative and metaphor elude you.
Darren, the MSM is answering to their corporate masters as is the DNC. The RNC was on the same path until Trump came along and blew Jeb & Co. out of the race. Whether Crooked Hillary wins or not they are finished. No one under the age of say 35 watched the MSM newz or reads the once-highly vaunted newspapers. Good riddance.
The MSM became too biased and left room for Fox to step in.
Twitter and FB are doing the same things that the MSM did years ago.
It will take a while, but conservatives will slowly step away from Twitter and FB, leaving them as echo chambers for the left wing to talk to each other and reinforce their biases.
And the country’s polarization will continue.
Steve, the Progressives feel the same about the MSM. That’s why I go to both alt Right and alt Left sites to get my news. I look forward to the demise of the Liberal media.
Reblogged this on Matthews' Blog.
It’s really remarkable that people have given so much weight to just 140 characters.
Please help us to denounce that FB , Yahoo & Google are blocking or not allowing to post or share any post against Hillary or in favor of Trump…What’s going on… It’s so sad & dangerous that our right or Liberty of free speech are no longer respected by the Progressive-Liberal Socialist media, Democratic Party and Soros and allowed by the current administration /Presidente, Barrack Hussein Obama…May God Save And Bless The USA!!!
Also, the ironic thing is when someone is banned from Twitter people are curious and look them up. That’s how I found out about Milo. Now I will look up Project Veritas. Thanks Twitter!! =)
I think this is more than the “Liberal agenda” – I see it as a move of total corporate control – globalism. Much of Europe has already succumbed – the UK is gasping for its last breath with Brexit. Earlier today I watched Milo talk about the future of the internet and it was frightening.
Almost all social media is in the tank for Hillary.
Trump sexually assaulted a member of the media.
Jan Shelton – sexual assault isn’t what it used to be. And assault claims are not what they used to be. Now, if you believe those against Trump you have to believe those against Clinton.
Of course he was, he’s not a Democrat, everyone knows we under tyranny and oppression of our 1st Amendment if you oppose the Liberal agenda. We are becoming, and rather rapidly a Totalitarian country under the corruption in the Democratic party elite leaders. We will be no different than Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, Iran, China etc. where the media are propaganda machines and where free speech is punished by death or prison.
What is a Tweeter and why should I care. Another way of saying. Don’t support fascists who believe in money as free speech but not in speech as free speech.
You should care because twitter is a way that people share information. That information is being suppressed by the powerful, not just on twitter but in the MSM, on blogs, and during peaceful protests, with militarized police force.
Whether communication takes over a phone, e-mail, or in a small group, along with internet communication, it is being suppressed. If you care about free speech you should care about its suppression, wherever that occurs.
BTW, Twitter isn’t just suppressing conservative speech. It is suppressing wikileaks and other sites which try to get out information about the powerful people who want it hidden.