1/ Thread: Twitter's Pandora's Box
If you are not American, chances are extremely high you probably yawn when a political leader who lost the election allege and claim the election was rigged.
If you are not American, chances are extremely high you probably yawn when a political leader who lost the election allege and claim the election was rigged.
2/ If Trump claiming election as fraud and inspiring supporters to protest lead to permanent ban on Twitter, what will happen to all those opposition leaders in all those countries?
And yes, those claims do lead to protest, to violence, and to many unfortunate deaths.
And yes, those claims do lead to protest, to violence, and to many unfortunate deaths.
3/ Many such protests were indeed organized with the help of social media.
In many cases, those opposition claims are real as the incumbent autocratic may end up getting 80%+ votes by organizing a staged election.
In many cases, those opposition claims are real as the incumbent autocratic may end up getting 80%+ votes by organizing a staged election.
4/ What would be the excuse for not banning those opposition leaders from social media if the autocratic govt in those countries demand such action given the opposition does not accept the election result and call for protests?
5/ If Twitter/Facebook doesn’t follow the autocrats' direction, why shouldn’t they be shut down in those countries for treating their cases differently?
Should Twitter ban an international leader(s) with terrible record of crime against humanity?
Should Twitter ban an international leader(s) with terrible record of crime against humanity?
6/ Should Twitter ban leaders if they utilize the platform in a harmless manner but exert real damage in the real world?
Can Twitter ban Trump? Yes, they can. They are a private company with their own rules and regulations. If you violate their rules, you can get banned.
Can Twitter ban Trump? Yes, they can. They are a private company with their own rules and regulations. If you violate their rules, you can get banned.
7/ However, I do believe if you want to build a generational company that can be here 50-100 years from now, you need to be as close to the legal definition of freedom of expression as possible.
8/ I am not American. But if there is one thing that I truly idolize about America, it is its deep commitment to freedom of expression.
What is freedom of expression? It appears to be a simple idea (and indeed it is), and yet I believe it is often misunderstood.
What is freedom of expression? It appears to be a simple idea (and indeed it is), and yet I believe it is often misunderstood.
9/ Freedom of expression primarily means just three things to me.
Freedom to share stupid ideas.
Freedom to share radical ideas.
Freedom to criticize/mock people in power.
Freedom to share stupid ideas.
Freedom to share radical ideas.
Freedom to criticize/mock people in power.
10/ The first two are almost always mirror of each other, and what passes as stupid to someone is usually seen as radical by the other.
I marveled at the height of freedom Americans enjoy in their country. Very few countries allow their citizens to mock their President/leader.
I marveled at the height of freedom Americans enjoy in their country. Very few countries allow their citizens to mock their President/leader.
End/ Fewer and fewer even let a free and fair election to take place.
Twitter opened a Pandora’s box, and I don't think anyone knows what happens from here.
Twitter opened a Pandora’s box, and I don't think anyone knows what happens from here.
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