President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter on Friday night, with the social media giant citing "risk of further incitement of violence" as their reason.
Twitter said in a statement: "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.
"In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.
"However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement."
After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.https://t.co/CBpE1I6j8Y
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 8, 2021
Twitter's statement said that ongoing tensions in the US as well as "an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021," prompted the ban.
Twitter specifically singled out Trump's tweets saying:
“The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”
As well as:
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”
"These two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks."
Twitter is not the first Big Tech company to suspend Trump, though they are the first to do so permanently, as of now. Yesterday, Facebook announced that they were extending a 24-hour ban on Trump posting across their social media platforms until January 20—Biden is set to be sworn in as the 46th President—Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced over his platform on Thursday.
"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete," Zuckerberg wrote.
The official President Of The United States Twitter Account (@POTUS) has not been banned from the platform, as of the time of publishing.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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