Earlier today, President Trump signed an executive order that put tech giants who have a monopoly on information disseminated on the internet, on notice.

Attorney General Barr spoke out on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook who are censoring content they don’t agree with. “These companies grew because they held themselves out as public forums—as free public forums where a variety of voices & diverse voices could come on and be heard,” AG Barr said.

President Trump also spoke out about how taxpayer dollars should not go to social media giants that unfairly repress free speech, saying they bully users. He added that there will be a lawsuit and that lawmakers will begin legislation against the tech giants.

In less than 24 hours, Twitter did something they have never done to a sitting President before, they added a warning label to one of President Trump’s tweets that warned violent protesters they would be met with force, saying that it “glorifies violence.”

After 3 days of violent riots, fires, looting, a takeover of the Minneapolis Police 3rd District, and copycat protests taking place in major cities across the United States, President Trump took to Twitter to let the feckless Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and the violent rioters know he’s had enough.

“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right…..

….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1266231100780744704?s=20

 

Shortly after President Trump tweeted his message to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the violent protesters putting innocent citizens and law enforcement officers in danger, Twitter warned users that the President’s tweet “violated Twitter Rules about glorifying violence.” Twitter added that they “determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”

Here is what the tweet looks like.

The tweet included a “Learn more” option that takes the user to another tab that explains:

About public-interest exceptions on Twitter

Defining the public interest

Twitter generally actions Tweets that violate our rules. However, we recognize that sometimes it may be in the public interest to allow people to view Tweets that would otherwise be taken down. We consider content to be in the public interest if it directly contributes to understanding or discussion of a matter of public concern.

At present, we limit exceptions to one critical type of public-interest content—Tweets from elected and government officials—given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements.

As a result, in rare instances, we may choose to leave up a Tweet from an elected or government official that would otherwise be taken down. Instead we will place it behind a notice providing context about the rule violation that allows people to click through to see the Tweet. Placing a Tweet behind this notice also limits the ability to engage with the Tweet through likes, Retweets, or sharing on Twitter, and makes sure the Tweet isn’t algorithmically recommended by Twitter. These actions are meant to limit the Tweet’s reach while maintaining the public’s ability to view and discuss it. Learn more about this notice and other enforcement actions.

What do you think? Isn’t the act of adding a warning label to the words of a the world’s most powerful man the worst kind of censorship?  Tell us what you think about what Twitter did to President Trump less than 24 hours after he signed an executive order that could have massive implications for unregulated tech giants like Twitter.

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