Jack Dorsey: Twitter CEO says Trump ban was correct but sets a ‘dangerous’ precedent

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“I think this was the right decision for Twitter,” Dorsey said in a statement series of 13 messages on its platform, citing “extraordinary and unsustainable” circumstances after Trump sparked a riot in the Capitol last week, an event that forced the social media company to “focus all our actions on public safety.”

“I’m not proud or proud that we had to ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here,” said Dorsey. “Offline damage from online speech is arguably real, and what drives our policies and enforcement.”

The past four years Twitter (TWTR) was central to Trump’s presidency, a fact that also benefited the company in the form of countless hours of user engagement. Twitter took a light approach to moderating his account, often arguing that as a government official, Trump should be given a great deal of freedom to speak. But the riot in the Capitol led to a ban.

Dorsey grappled with the implications of the decision in his posts, admitting that “having to ban an account has real and significant consequences.” Removing users, he said, fragments the public conversation and divides people.

“While there are clear and obvious exceptions, I believe that prohibition is a failure on our part to ultimately promote healthy conversation. And a time for us to think about our activities and the environment around us “, he said.

The CEO also addressed similar actions from other social media companies, such as Facebook (FB) and Snapchat (SNAP), to banish the president. These actions were not coordinated, Dorsey said, but pose a challenge to the tech industry.

“The control and accountability of this power has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is a small part of the larger public conversation taking place on the Internet,” he said. “If people disagree with our rules and enforcement, they can simply switch to another internet service.”

The tech industry used 'the nuclear option' to crack down on violent groups that organize online

“This concept was challenged last week when a number of fundamental internet providers also decided not to host what they considered dangerous,” he continued.

Amazon (AMZN) effectively killed Parler, a platform favored by the far right, when it canceled its web hosting contract.

The decision to ban the president from Twitter had immediate repercussions: Trump lost access to more than 88 million followers and the move exposed the company to censorship charges from Republicans. Democrats destroyed the role of social media in enabling Trump and warned of new legislation to regulate the tech industry.

Dorsey suggested in his posts that the tech industry’s actions could also have longer-term implications.

“This moment in time may call for this dynamic, but in the long run it will be destructive to the noble purpose and ideals of the open Internet. A company making a business decision to moderate itself is another. than a government revoking access, but that may feel the same way, ”Dorsey said.

Yes, we all need to look critically at inconsistencies in our policies and enforcement. Yes, we need to look at how our service can encourage distraction and damage. Yes, we need more transparency in our moderation activities. All of this cannot erode a free and open worldwide internet, ”he added.

– Brian Fung contributed to reporting.

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