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  • Trump ban was right but sets dangerous precedent – Twitter chief

    Trump ban was right but sets dangerous precedent – Twitter chief

    Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey on Wednesday defended the platform’s decision to suspend U.S. President Donald Trump’s account indefinitely, but also said it sets a dangerous precedent.

    Twitter banned the outgoing president in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob last week.

    “I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here. After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter,” Dorsey wrote in a Twitter thread.

    However, he also said he feels turning to a ban ultimately shows a failure by Twitter to promote healthy conversation.

    “Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation. They divide us.

    “They limit the potential for clarification, redemption, and learning and sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation,” Dorsey wrote.

    Facebook has also banned Trump from using his accounts, citing his intent to “undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power.”

    Trump has complained that social media platforms are exercising censorship and suggested he may launch a competing platform.

    Amazon had earlier on Wednesday defended its decision to kick the social network Parler from its cloud servers, saying the platform popular with Trump’s supporters failed to delete threats of violence.

    Some people used Parler to spread messages promoting insurrection and to plan for last Wednesday’s deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol.

    Amazon Web Services booted social network Parler on Monday in a move that effectively removed it from the internet.

    The conservative-friendly platform then filed a lawsuit in a Seattle federal court that demanded Amazon keep Parler on its service.

    Parler argued Amazon was driven by “political animus” and the decision was “the equivalent of pulling the plug on a hospital patient on life support. It will kill Parler’s business – at the very time it is set to skyrocket.”

    Amazon hit back in its response on Tuesday, saying the case “is not about suppressing speech or stifling viewpoints.”

    “This case is about Parler’s demonstrated unwillingness and inability to remove from the servers of Amazon Web Services content that threatens the public safety, such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.”

    Amazon then listed more than a dozen examples from Parler users, including: “After the firing squads are done with the politicians the teachers are next” and “We are going to fight in a civil War on Jan. 20th, Form MILITIAS now and acquire targets.”

  • Israeli PM removes joint photo with Trump from Twitter banner

    Israeli PM removes joint photo with Trump from Twitter banner

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday changed his cover photo on Twitter, which was a joint picture with outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump.

    The Prime Minister replaced the old twitter banner with the one in which he is being vaccinated against COVID-19.

    A joint photo of the two leaders, with Netanyahu sitting next to Trump at a White House meeting, has long been on the prime minister’s official Twitter account @netanyahu.

    The photo was seen as a sign of friendship and close ties between Israel and the Trump-led U.S. administration.

    The removal came after the relations between the two leaders have deteriorated after Netanyahu officially congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the latter’s victory in the November presidential election.

    The new picture on Netanyahu’s Twitter profile says “Citizens of Israel, we are returning to life.”

    No comment on the cover photo’s replacement was given on his account.

    Meanwhile, Trump has been blocked on all major social platforms following the Jan. 6 unrest in the U.S. Capitol.

    A group of Trump’s supporters had stormed the building, clashing with police, damaging property, seizing the inauguration stage, and occupying the rotunda.

    The violent rally, which killed five people, took place after Trump urged his supporters to protest what he claimed was a stolen election.

  • Trending: Aisha Yesufu fires back as critics attack her on Twitter for supporting LGBT rights

    Trending: Aisha Yesufu fires back as critics attack her on Twitter for supporting LGBT rights

    Prominent activist, Aisha Yesufu has come under attack on Twitter for publicly supporting rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Nigeria.

    The activist had on Monday took to her verified account on the micro-blogging platform to educate her followers on why gay rights should be allowed in Nigeria, stressing that homosexuality isn’t new and was freely practised in the country for hundreds of years.

    She added that she had witnessed same-sex marriages in Nigeria as far back as in the early 80s.

    She tweeted: “You do not need anyone liking your choice of sexuality. All you need is being given the right to practise your sexuality. Homosexuality was freely practised in Nigeria for hundreds of years and I witnessed same-sex marriages in the 80s.“So calm down, it is not a new discovery.”

    The activist’s tweet, however, provoked some of her followers and other Nigerians on the social app who condemned her views and hurled her curses and invectives.

    Some of the Twitter users opined that it is wrong for her to show support for something that God and her religion forbids. But, Aisha was resolute, she took her time to answer her critics in turns.

    See snippets of the bickering, Aisha’s responses

    See their exchanges below…

  • Twitter shares slump 8% after Trump account suspension

    Twitter shares slump 8% after Trump account suspension

    Twitter’s German-listed shares slumped as much as 8 per cent on Monday, the first trading day after it permanently suspended U.S. President Donald Trump’s account late on Friday.

    The company said suspension of Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, was due to the risk of further violence, following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday..

    At 1011 GMT, the social media firm’s U.S.-listed shares were also off 6.8 per cent at $47.94 in thin premarket trading.

    It was the first time Twitter banned a head of state, sparking a worldwide controversy over the impact U.S. tech giants can have on free speech and democracy more broadly.

    For Twitter’s balance sheet itself, the decision to ban the U.S. president is expected to have a moderate negative impact.

    “Expect slight user decline, though engagement erosion is a bigger question”, Berstein analysts wrote in a note looking into the issue.

    Far-right groups maintain a vigorous online presence on digital platforms like Parler, Gab, MeWe, Zello and Telegram and could disengage from mainstream social media.

    There could also be additional costs for Twitter and others as they seek to further moderate content uploaded by their users.

    “Incremental moderation may be welcome but it’s not cheap and could benefit Facebook that already employees a moderation army (around six times) larger than Twitter’s workforce,” Berstein analysts said.

    Facebook Inc has suspended Trump’s account until at least the end of his presidential term later this month.

  • Twitter wields big stick against Trump, bans account permanently

    Twitter wields big stick against Trump, bans account permanently

    Twitter on Friday evening wielded the big stick against outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump, suspending his account permanently.

    Announcing this in a blog post, the company said it took the decision “due to the risk of further incitement of violence’’.

    “After a close review of recent tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them, we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.

    “In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action.

    “Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly.

    “It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.

    “However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence among other things.

    “We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement,’’ Twitter said.

    The company cited two tweets by the president earlier on Friday that formed the basis of its decision.

    In the first post, the president said: “The 75,000,000 great American Patriots, who voted for me, America First and Make America Great Again, will have a Giant Voice long into the future.

    “They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!’’

    Shortly thereafter Trump tweeted again: “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the inauguration on January 20th’’.

    Citing Wednesday’s attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol Hill, the company said the two tweets must be read in the context in which his comments could be used to incite violence.

    “President Trump’s statement that he will not be attending the inauguration is being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate.

    “It is seen as him disavowing his previous claim made via two tweets (1, 2) by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dan Scavino, that there would be an “orderly transition” on Jan. 20.

    “The second tweet may also serve as an encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the inauguration would be a ‘safe’ target, as he will not be attending,’’ it added.

    Twitter had earlier suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours and threatened to ban the account permanently if he violated its rules any further.

  • More woes for Donald Trump as Twitter permanently suspends accounts

    More woes for Donald Trump as Twitter permanently suspends accounts

    Twitter said Friday it has permanently suspended President Donald Trump’s account, citing the risk of further violence following the assault on the US Capitol by his supporters.

    “After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account,” Twitter said in a blog post explaining its decision, “we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

    Twitter — Trump’s favorite megaphone — blocked him for 12 hours after the deadly attack on the US Capitol on Wednesday and threatened permanent suspension if he continued breaking its rules.

    Trump returned to Twitter late Thursday, posting a video message that seemed aimed at calming tensions after the mayhem caused by his supporters.

    He acknowledged his presidency was ending and promised a smooth transition to Joe Biden, although he did not go so far as to congratulate or even say the name of his successor.

    Twitter said at the time it was continuing to watch Trump’s social media activity to determine whether further action was needed.

    The decision to suspend Trump’s account came after a pair of tweets on Friday, according to the one-to-many messaging platform.

    In one of the tweets, Trump vowed that none of his supporters would be “disrespected” and in another he said he would not be attending Biden’s inauguration on January 20, as is customary.

    “These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks,” Twitter said.

    The company determined the tweets violated its “Glorification of Violence Policy” and that “user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service.”

    Twitter confirmed that several hundred employees signed a letter to chief executive Jack Dorsey saying they were disturbed by the “insurrection” carried out by Trump supporters who had been rallied by the president.

    The employees called for Twitter to assess the role its platform played in Wednesday’s events.

    “Twitter encourages an open dialogue between our leadership and employees, and we welcome our employees to express their thoughts and concerns in whichever manner feels right to them,” a company spokesperson said of the letter.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Facebook and Instagram had earlier banned the outgoing president from using its platform after the Capitol violence.

  • Trump’s favourite social media app, Twitter, others suspend his accounts over Capitol violence

    Trump’s favourite social media app, Twitter, others suspend his accounts over Capitol violence

    Twitter and Facebook suspended Donald Trump on Wednesday over posts accused of inflaming violence in the US Capitol, as social media scrambled to respond to mayhem by supporters buying into his baseless attacks on the integrity of the election.

    The unprecedented sanctions came after the president took to social media to repeat his numerous false claims about fraud and other impropriety in the election he lost to Joe Biden.

    “This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video,” said Facebook vice president of integrity Guy Rosen.

    “We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.”

    Facebook barred Trump from posting at the social network or its Instagram service for 24 hours, saying his messages were promoting violence.

    Trump’s falsehoods, ranging from specific allegations to broad conspiracy theories, also prompted Facebook to change a label added to posts aiming to undermine the election results.

    The new label reads: “Joe Biden has been elected president with results that were certified by all 50 states. The US has laws, procedures, and established institutions to ensure the peaceful transfer of power after an election.”

    An activist group calling itself a mock Facebook oversight board said sanctions against Trump at the social network were long overdue.

    “This is too little, too late,” the group said in a statement.

    “Donald Trump has breached Facebook’s own terms and conditions multiple times. His account is not just a threat to democracy but to human life.”

    The crackdown came after Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attack that led to one woman being shot and killed by police, interrupting congressional debate over Biden’s election victory.

    The assault came after the president had urged supporters to march on the seat of government during a speech outside the White House in which he alleged baselessly that the election had been stolen from him.

    He later released a video on social media in which he repeated the false claim — even telling the mob “I love you.”

    YouTube removed the video in line with its policy barring claims challenging election results.

    Twitter said Trump’s messages were violations of the platform’s rules on civic integrity and that any future violations “will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”

    The messaging platform said Trump’s account would be locked for 12 hours and that if the offending tweets were not removed, “the account will remain locked.”

    Facebook said it would search for and remove content which praised the storming of the Capitol or encouraged the violence.

    The platform said it would seek to take down additional calls for protests, including peaceful ones, if they violated a curfew imposed by the city of Washington, or any attempts to “re-stage” the storming of Congress.

    “The violent protests in the Capitol today are a disgrace,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

    “We prohibit incitement and calls for violence on our platform. We are actively reviewing and removing any content that breaks these rules.”

    Facebook maintained that it was in contact with law enforcement officials and continued to enforce bans on QAnon conspiracy group, militarized social movements, and hate groups.

    A #StormTheCapitol hashtag was blocked at Facebook and Instagram, according to the internet titan.

  • Iran dismisses Trump’s tweet that Tehran behind attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

    Iran dismisses Trump’s tweet that Tehran behind attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

    Iran’s Foreign Minister on Thursday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s allegations that Iran was behind the recent rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

    “Putting your own citizens at risk abroad won’t divert attention from catastrophic failures at home,’’ Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted.

    Trump, without giving evidence, said on Twitter on Wednesday that the rockets that landed in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday, in an attack targeting the U.S. Embassy, were from Iran and “we hear the chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq’’.

    “Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,’’ Trump said.

    The Iraqi military blamed the attack, which caused some minor damage, on an “outlaw group.”

    Top U.S. national security officials agreed on Wednesday on a proposed range of options to present to Trump aimed at deterring any attack on U.S. military or diplomatic personnel in Iraq, a senior administration official told Reuters without describing the content of the options or say whether they included military action.

  • Arsenal goalkeeper deletes Twitter account after City loss

    Arsenal goalkeeper deletes Twitter account after City loss

    Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Runarsson has deleted his Twitter account after the backlash from their 4-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City.

    The Icelandic shot stopper was given a rare outing against the holders as the Gunners’ poor form continued.

    It was City’s second goal that saw the goalkeeper come in for criticism.

    Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick was straight at him but the ball slipped through his hands.

    Runarsson moved to the Emirates from French side Dijon and has only made a handfull of appearances this term.

  • Court sentences ‘Twitter Killer’ to death

    A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced to death a serial killer, Takahiro Shiraishi, also known as the “Twitter killer” for murdering eight women and a man he met on social media.

    Delivering judgment, the Judge, Yano Naokuni, said the death sentence against Shiraishi was prompted by the “extreme seriousness” of his crimes, the New York Times quoted the Tokyo court as saying.

    ”Shiraishi did not just murder his victims but had trampled on the dignity of the dead,” Naokuni held.

    The convicted murderer had testified that he had at first considered denying his involvement but later changed his mind in the face of the overwhelming evidence against him.

    Shiraishi, nicknamed “the Twitter Killer” had confessed to meeting with eight women and a man at different times on social media and luring them to an apartment, where he killed them all.

    Shiraishi was arraigned before the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court in September.

    He was charged with sexual assault, murder and theft of the victims’ belongings, as well as abandoning the victims’ remains in coolers.

    The remains of the victims, aged between 15 and 26, were found at an apartment in the city of Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, in October 2017.

    The victims’ families and prosecution counsel had during the trial demanded a death sentence for Shiraishi.

    His lawyers (defence counsel) had argued that the victims wanted to die and went to see Shiraishi on their own will.

    Shiraishi had, however, rejected their submission before the court and made it clear that the victims did not give their consent to be killed by him.

    Shiraishi confessed outright before the court that his aim was to rape the victims and take their money.

    “I had a hard time making up my mind to do it, but I had done illegal things on a daily basis as part of my work as a scout and had internalised the idea that it’s only a problem if you get caught,” he was quoted as saying in court.

    He had also told the court that ”after the first murder, the rest was easy.”

    Delivering judgment, the Judge held that none of the victims wanted to be murdered, and that the defendant was found to be fully responsible for the crime.

    The Judge upheld the prosecution’s demand and sentenced Shiraishi to death accordingly.