Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said blocking Donald Trump’s Twitter account was the right decision, but expressed sadness over the “extraordinary circumstances” in which the president’s permanent suspension from social media took place. American, reports the BBC.
Dorsey also said that the blockade of Trump is a failure of Twitter, in part because the platform did not work enough to promote healthy speech in the online environment.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Lopez Obrador were among the leaders who spoke in critical terms about blocking the US president’s account.
Dorsey reiterated that the decision to block the account came as a result of repeated warnings and in the context of concerns about the risks posed by the president’s behavior on the platform:
“I do not celebrate and I am not proud that we had to block Donald Trump on Twitter. Not that I got here. After a clear warning that we will act, we made the decision based on information and risks to the physical safety of some people on Twitter, but also outside it, “wrote Dorsey.
The head of Twitter acknowledged, however, that the Twitter decision could have consequences for freedom on the Internet – “such decisions fragment the discourse in society, divide us and set a precedent that I consider dangerous.”
Social media actions to block users or delete posts that violate community rules have been criticized as censoring or violating the right to free speech.
