Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has defended his company’s decision to ban President Donald Trump while acknowledging that the move stems from its failure to promote healthy conversations and sets a dangerous precedent.
German leader Angela Merkel and Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador neither an ally of the outgoing US president spoke out against the tech titan’s move.
Twitter’s chief said he did not celebrate or feel pride in the ban which came after the Capitol riot last week.
“We made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter, Mr Dorsey said.
He also accepted that the move would have consequences for an open and free internet.
“Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation, they divide us and sets a precedent I feel is dangerous.
The decision to remove users, posts and tweets has been criticised by some for violating first amendment free speech rights.
However, big tech firms generally argue that they are private companies, and not state actors so the law does not apply when they moderate their platforms.
Facebook and YouTube have taken steps to silence the president, while Amazon shut down Parler, an app widely used by his supporters.
Incoming US President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants companies like Facebook and Twitter to do more to take down hate speech and fake news.
He has previously said he wants to repeal Section 230, a law protecting social media companies from being sued for the things people post.
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