There are many politicians out there who would like to “forget” that they ever said something. There are also many citizens out there who claim that what politicians say is public record, seeking out to track and preserve their words for the sake of transparency. Twitter disagrees apparently – since June, the company has revoked API access to over 30 government transparency-seeking accounts, citing user privacy.
Also Read: YouTube Lauches Newswire, An Eyewitness Content Hub
Twitter began blocking developer API accounts earlier this year beginning with Politwoops – an account run by the Sunlight Foundation – much to many people’s disgust.
If you like our stories, there is an easy way to stay updated:
Follow @wersm
The account was hugely popular and the latest accounts that were blocked (run by U.K.’s Open State Foundation) are no exception, as they too, archived and republished deleted tweets from politicians and other powerful people in over 30 countries.
Arjan El Fassed, Open State’s Director, explained that
[quote]“What elected politicians publicly say is a matter of public record,” . “What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. This is not about typos but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.”[/quote]
Twitter counters this argument with its API’s T&Cs, in that developers are not allowed to store deleted tweets.
[quote]“Honoring the expectation of user privacy for all accounts is a priority for us,” “whether the user is anonymous or a member of Congress.”[/quote]
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) explains that although Twitter has always supported transparent and free speech it has played a role in censorship in several situations, seemingly colluding with governments to withhold information. Despite the internet’s valiant efforts to keep information free, it seems that even the media that are rooted in its freedom are not immune.
What is your take on this story? Do you think all tweets have a right to be deleted and never remembered?
You might also like
More from Twitter
Is There A Back Door To Get Verified On Twitter?
Twitter says it is working on a new verification process. But in the meantime, accounts are still getting verified.
Quote Tweets Get Their Own Counter On Twitter
“Tweets about a tweet add more to the conversation.” Twitter makes Quote Tweets easier to find with a new counter …
Twitter Now Provides More Context About Who Sent You DM Requests
Twitter has announced a new feature that gives you more information about users who send you unsolicited DM requests.
Twitter Finally Launches Its New Rebuilt API
Twitter has finally made its v2 API available to developers - totally rebuilt for the first time since 2012.
Twitter Is Rolling Out Its Reply-Limiting Feature Globally
Twitter is making its reply-limiting feature available to all users. It gives you complete control over who can reply to …
TwiTok? Twitter Enters Talks To Acquire TikTok
Twitter has reportedly entered talks to acquire TikTok's US operations, after President Trump gave TikTok a 45-day ultimatum, to sell …
Desktop Users Can Now Read Twitter DMs Directly On Their Timeline
Twitter DMs are now easier to access as the platform has quietly rolled out a new feature that will change …
Twitter Could Be Working On A New Subscriptions Platform
Twitter seems to be working on a new subscription platform, according to a job opening posted on the company's corporate …
For Juneteenth Twitter Put Up Billboards Highlighting Black Voices
For Juneteenth, Twitter turned several real tweets into billboards that were advertised in cities that play an important part in …
