Washington: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey reinforced Thursday his stance on pointing out ‘incorrect or disputed information about elections globally’. Jack Dorsey’s statement came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to shutter the social media platform. Trump was irked by Twitter’s actions on his posts. Dorsey also appealed ‘leave our employees out of this’ controversy. His face-off with Trump will certainly boil over in the coming days.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s statement
“Fact check: there is someone ultimately accountable for our actions as a company, and that’s me. Please leave our employees out of this. We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make,” Dorsey tweeted Thursday.
See link: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1265837138114830336
“This does not make us an ‘arbiter of truth’. Our intention is to connect the dots of conflicting statements and show the information in dispute. This is a must so people can judge for themselves. More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions,” he added.
Twitter had tagged two of Trump’s tweets. He had claimed more mail-in voting would lead to what he called a ‘rigged election’ this November. There is no evidence that attempts are being made to rig the election. Under Trump’s tweets Twitter posted a link which read: “Get the facts about mail-in ballots.”
Five states in the United States conduct elections primarily by mail-in votes. They are Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon.
For years, Twitter has been accused of ignoring the US President’s violation of platform rules. Trump’s account comprises his daily, often hourly barrages of personal insults and inaccurate information.
Trump gets angry
Twitter’s slap on the wrist was enough to irk Trump. He went on a tirade on Twitter. Political rights in the US are being censored said Trump.
Republicans feel that social media platforms totally silence conservatives’ voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen,” Trump said. He added that an increase in mail-in ballots will undermine the elections. Mail-in ballots in some states will be vital. It will allow voters to avoid crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of ballots,” Trump wrote. No doubt the US president is jittery as he seeks re-election. The coronavirus crisis has knocked Trump’s election campaign off the track.
Agencies