@RealDonaldTrump has violated Twitter’s terms of service
Twitter has recently cracked down on some groups using its platform to “promote violence against civilians to further their causes,” but is still absurdly insisting that Donald Trump is not violating its terms of service, even in the wake of this tweet:
Twitter may make money and get free publicity from letting Trump get away with these dangerous, war-mongering tweets, but the company continues to face enormous pressure to block his account for threats of violence. Threatening nuclear war with North Korea crosses a huge red line — so it is time to add to the pressure.
This isn’t the first time Trump has threatened war on Twitter. In September, he threatened on Twitter that North Korea “won’t be around much longer.” Before that he tweeted: “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!” Like many other Trump tweets, this one clearly violated Twitter’s rules and policies against hateful conduct and violent threats.
This past fall, Trump made international headlines when he retweeted inflammatory and fake Islamophobic videos from an extremist anti-Muslim group in Britain. Trump has also repeatedly emboldened violent white supremacists on Twitter by sharing their memes and retweeting their posts to millions of followers. His active promotion of hate mongers helped create the violent atmosphere of hate that led to a woman’s death in Charlottesville, Virginia in August.
Twitter’s coddling of Donald Trump could have deadly consequences. Trump has a history of setting official government policy via tweet. If he spouts off without thinking, makes a disastrous typo — or if his account were to be hacked — the result could be nuclear war.
Despite the possible repercussions and Trump’s repeated violations, Twitter has yet to act. It is not too much to ask for Twitter to ensure that White House staff verify any Trump tweets before they are posted. Or, Twitter could stop coddling white supremacists and authoritarians and follow through on its own terms of service by revoking Trump’s account.
Donald Trump has used his Twitter account to wreak havoc on enemies real and imagined. He has directed armies of internet trolls against journalists, public figures and anyone who draws his ire. His tweets about government policy have caused multibillion dollar changes in the market caps of major corporations. Last summer, he sent a series of tweets announcing a decision to ban transgender Americans from the military despite not having consulted with the military first.
If his account tweeted that he had ordered a military strike — whether it was from his own thumbs or because the account had been hacked — countless American lives could be lost before cooler heads prevail. Twitter has more than enough reason to revoke Trump’s account based on its own rules. It must either do so or institute immediate safeguards, or all of us could pay the price.
Originally published at act.credoaction.com.
