Twitter CEO says platform 'faced extraordinary and untenable circumstance' before banning Trump

Source: The Hill:

January 14, 2021 at 06:17

Dorsey also noted that in the long-term, the actions of Twitter and other companies would be “destructive to the noble purpose and ideals of the open internet.”

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Wednesday that the social media platform faced an “extraordinary and untenable circumstance” before banning President Trump’s account.

The platform permanently suspended Trump’s account last Friday, days after a mob of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol in a riot that left five people dead.

The company made the decision, which has since become controversial, after it determined that his posts posed “the risk of further incitement of violence.”

In a lengthy Twitter thread on Wednesday, Dorsey said the platform “faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety. Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all.”

Dorsey recognized, however, that having to ban an account has “real and significant ramifications,” adding that doing so is a “failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation. And a time for us to reflect on our operations and the environment around us.”