REUTERS/Tasos Katopodis
- President Donald Trump’s positive coronavirus diagnosis has prompted many people to wish for his death on social media.
- The tweets have since prompted Twitter to issue a statement saying the messages violate their abusive behavior policy and could result in suspension.
- The company’s statement, however, has sparked a backlash within the Twitter community, with many people describing it as hypocritical.
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib tweeted in response: “Seriously though, this is messed up. The death threats towards us should have been taking more seriously by @TwitterComs.”
- The company told Motherboard that the policy has existed since April and that it is suspending some users but will not act on every tweet.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Twitter has issued a statement saying that tweets publicly wishing for President Donald Trump’s death following his positive coronavirus diagnosis violate their abusive behavior policy and could result in suspension.
The statement, published on Friday, has sparked a backlash within the Twitter community, with many people describing it as hypocritical.
It comes as Trump announced that he and the First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. The news prompted some people to hope for his speedy recovery, while others tweeted to say they wish the disease would kill him.
Twitter said: “Tweets that wish or hope for death, serious bodily harm, or fatal disease against anyone are not allowed and will need to be removed,” the company added.
The statement has angered many Twitter users, including some lawmakers who argued that many people, especially those in marginalized communities, receive death threats on the platform all the time, with little response from the company.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-
Rep. Rashida Tlaib tweeted: “Seriously though, this is messed up. The death threats towards us should have been taking more seriously by @TwitterComs.”
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 3, 2020
Other people have also criticized the company for its statement.
Evan Greer, a trans woman who is the primary spokesperson for the digital rights organization Fight For the Future, wrote that she gets “death threats on Twitter on a weekly basis.”
Another person wrote: “Looks like no one at Twitter Comms is a woman, Black person, brown person, gay person, trans person, disabled person, liberal person, progressive person, non-religious person, or actual person.”
—Ned Pyle (@NerdPyle) October 2, 2020
Twitter told Motherboard it is suspending some users but will not act on every tweet. The abusive behavior policy has existed since April.
“We’re prioritizing the removal of content when it has a clear call to action that could potentially cause real-world harm,” a spokesperson told Motherboard.
On Friday, Trump announced that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus and later was admitted to Walter Reed Hospital for “further monitoring” and treatment, according to a memo by the White House physician.
Trump’s tweet confirming the news became his most liked and retweeted ever.
Business Insider has reached out to Twitter for comment.
- Read more:
- Trump is angry that Twitter won’t remove a crudely edited ‘Moscow Mitch’ meme poking fun at McConnell
- Twitter temporarily blocked the Trump campaign from tweeting after it shared a video of the president spreading COVID-19 misinformation
- Trump’s refusal to wear a mask may have led him to be exposed to more coronavirus particles — raising his risk of severe infection
- The global coronavirus death toll has officially reached 1 million — although experts believe the actual death toll is much higher
Powered by WPeMatico
