Twitter’s new censorship policy should be praised

Rana Harvey
Columnist

Twitter’s reputation as a free-speech haven has been tainted, in the view of some, by the announcement of its new censorship policy.

Grounded in its ability to help citizens speak out and organize if needed, many activists and young leaders feel betrayed by the network they once praised. They now fear this policy could potentially undermine and silence the voices that need to be heard most.

Twitter announced that it would begin to censor tweets in efforts to expand its company from 100 million to 1 billion users. Chiefly to abide by the laws of different countries, Twitter plans to block any content deemed illegal. Content will, however, still be available in cyberspace, thus able to be viewed everywhere else.

Because Twitter has become a social force, many worry that this policy could destroy the service’s freedom-of-expression philosophy and perhaps more importantly, its capability to start impromptu social movements. But their decision to censor tweets is a subtle step forward, rather than the backwards move most think it is.

Contrary to what most think, Twitter is doing the best – better than any other social network thus far – it can under the circumstances it has. As a company who wants to expand into foreign territory, Twitter has to respect the laws of each country it enters. What most fail to realize is that freedom of expression varies by country, as well as the delicacy of negotiation involved.

By the same token, Twitter isn’t doing anything new. Internet companies have always removed content that is illegal in one country or another. For example, Facebook removes content that is deemed illegal in certain countries, including the U.S. However, they do not always explain why or for what reason. The only new thing Twitter is doing is retracting content only in those countries where it is illegal, and if the authorities there make a valid request.

Although this could possibly weaken the usefulness of Twitter in more authoritarian countries, Twitter does keep the content available on the Internet. According to the New York Times, users can manually set their location or choose “worldwide” to circumvent the blocking system entirely. For instance, a user in Syria could change their locational setting to “worldwide” and view tweets from around the world. The fears that censorship will silence potential revolts or revolutions are overblown.

Twitter is still the same at heart. The new policy still leaves room for the freedom-of-expression ideology most fell in love with from the beginning. Activists and young leaders alike shouldn’t feel betrayed by Twitter – but instead grateful – that they were notified of the new changes and that Twitter honors the laws and conduct of their particular country.

By expanding itself into more conservative countries – countries that can rightly be called oppressive – Twitter is building a foundation for which citizens are now oppressed and unable to express free speech. Democracy can be a slippery slope, and by establishing itself in these countries, perhaps Twitter can help freedom of speech win out.

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