Twitter Forced To Suspend Accounts Set Up to Share Donald Trump’s Website Posts
Back in January, the social media giants took unprecedented measures, suspending Donald Trump in a bid to stop him from inciting violence on their platforms during the US Capitol riot.
Twitter – Trump’s primary online megaphone – has declared Trump’s ban as permanent, Facebook upheld its ban on Wednesday and YouTube announced it will restore the former president’s channel when the risk of violence lessens.
[Image Creds: Politico]Donald Trump, however, has found a loophole – a means of disseminating his views, independent from these social media titans. How? Trump has created his own social media enterprise: a retro webpage, featuring series of statements resembling blogposts, titled “From The Desk Of Donald J Trump.”
This webpage allows Trump to broadcast his views in mini thought pieces, which his supporters can share on the very platforms that banned him – a cunning move from the ex US President.
Twitter has suspended several accounts that were purposefully set up to share these posts from Donald Trump’s website. The micro-blogging site said the accounts broke the rules by helping the former president to circumvent a ban from the social network.
Trump, his allies, and conservatives have criticised the social media bans, deeming them censorship and pushing for laws to punish the companies involved. A recent study by Pew Research Centre revealed that, whilst 49% of U.S. adults say Trump’s accounts should be permanently banned from social media, the other half argue his right to stay – an almost equal split.
[Image Creds: Pew Research Centre]That being said, most platforms, notably Twitter, are adamant that the ban is final, committed to combatting Trump’s threatening dissemination of exaggerations and falsehoods.
Finally, for our previous #SocialShort, click here.