“I’m not celebrating and I’m not proud that we should ban @realDonaldTrump from Twitter or how we got here,” Dorsey said. “The offline harm of online speech is clearly real and what drives our policy and implementation above all else.”
Dorsey dealt with the consequences of the decision in his posts, acknowledging that “imposing an account ban has real and significant consequences.” Removing users, he said, fragmented the public conversation and divided people.
“Although there are clear and obvious exceptions, I believe the ban is our failure to ultimately promote healthy conversation. And time to reflect on our operations and the environment around us,” he said.
“The verification and accountability of this authority has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is a small part of the larger public conversation happening on the Internet,” he said. “If people don’t agree with our rules and application, they can just go to another internet service.”
“This concept was challenged last week when a number of major ISPs also decided not to host what they found dangerous,” he continued.
The president’s decision to ban Twitter had immediate consequences: Trump lost access to more than 88 million followers, and the move exposed the company to complaints of censorship by Republicans. Democrats blew up the role of social media in supporting Trump and warned of new legislation regulating the technology industry.
Dorsey suggests in his publications that the actions of the technology industry can also have long-term consequences.
“This moment in time may require this dynamic, but in the long run it will be destructive to the noble goal and ideals of the open internet. A company that decides to moderate a business is different from a government that removes access, but can still I feel almost the same, “Dorsey said.
“Yes, we all need to look critically at inconsistencies in our policy and implementation. Yes, we need to look at how our service can stimulate distraction and harm. Yes, we need more transparency in our moderation operations. All of this cannot be disrupted. free and open global internet, “he added.
– Brian Fung contributed to the reporting.