twitter apparently mass banning ukrainians after lobbying from the russians

[norseamd]

Now I do not know that much about this group, but I do know that Twitter has changed quite dramatically in the last few years, and they have been doing some corrupt and shady shit.

Since December 29th, an organized campaign has been aimed at Ukrainian Twitter users, hitting them with a wave of bans and suspensions. Its targets are accounts that actively oppose the Russian regime and its aggression. Many of these accounts have thousands of followers. By now, more than 30 prominent accounts (some with hundreds of thousands of readers) have been blocked.

Twitter has recently updated its Rules in response to intense pressure from several governments. (For example, Germany has criticized Twitter for inaction on hate speech in the aftermath of mass influx of North African and Middle Eastern refugees.) The updated rules, which further restrict inflammatory images and calls for violence directed at members of particular ethnic or religious groups, are being applied retroactively to tweets that predate the changes, in some cases by as much as a year ago. In doing so, Twitter has gone against a fundamental legal principle, accepted by most of the civilized world and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Constitution, and elsewhere – that ex post facto punishment is unjust.

http://world.maidan.org.ua/2016/mass-blocking-twitter-operation-brotherly-peoples

 

[DrDoug]

While I hate censoring speech one small problem with this take on what is happening is that nothing in the Constitution restricts businesses like Twitter from making decisions like this. IOW, Twitter is not a government and thus they are not convicting anyone of anything, it's purely a business decision. Even if what they are doing is under the pressure of a government, in the end it's still Twitter making a business decision. Sucks but it's their right to operate as they see fit, just as long as it's legal.

If Twitter didn't like it then they could fight it but as it looks right now that isn't likely.

 

[Phokus]

While I hate censoring speech one small problem with this take on what is happening is that nothing in the Constitution restricts businesses like Twitter from making decisions like this. IOW, Twitter is not a government and thus they are not convicting anyone of anything, it's purely a business decision. Even if what they are doing is under the pressure of a government, in the end it's still Twitter making a business decision. Sucks but it's their right to operate as they see fit, just as long as it's legal.

If Twitter didn't like it then they could fight it but as it looks right now that isn't likely.

It's certainly their right, but it's also the right of private citizens to criticize that decision. I think it's really shitty of Twitter to do.

 

[DrDoug]

It's certainly their right, but it's also the right of private citizens to criticize that decision. I think it's really shitty of Twitter to do.

I agree with you, it is shitty but again, it's their decision to make and all we can do is protest, boycott, ignore or whatever,

It's just business to them.

 

[Jaskalas]

Twitter acts like they have an enemies list that is up for the highest bidder.
Profits, baby!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

In doing so, Twitter has gone against a fundamental legal principle, accepted by most of the civilized world and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the American Constitution, and elsewhere – that ex post facto punishment is unjust.

Twitter is apparently a government now. lol.

 

[LegendKiller]

I agree with you, it is shitty but again, it's their decision to make and all we can do is protest, boycott, ignore or whatever,

It's just business to them.

The problem is that many people wouldn't otherwise know that this is happening. It isn't like there is a liberal twitter, or a conservative twitter.

We are now seeing most governments trying to exert influence upon social media to change the way the proles think. They aren't doing it as official arms of the government, as that would be illegal, so they do it as private enterprise. The effect, propagandization of all media, is the same.

Had it not been Merkel caught on tape, but Putin or somebody else, ordering Zuck around, FB would probably be out of business by now.

 

[DrDoug]

The problem is that many people wouldn't otherwise know that this is happening. It isn't like there is a liberal twitter, or a conservative twitter.

We are now seeing most governments trying to exert influence upon social media to change the way the proles think. They aren't doing it as official arms of the government, as that would be illegal, so they do it as private enterprise. The effect, propagandization of all media, is the same.

Had it not been Merkel caught on tape, but Putin or somebody else, ordering Zuck around, FB would probably be out of business by now.

China is a perfect example of nations bullying businesses into doing what they want... too many businesses are willing to play ball with oppressive governments just to gain access to their people. IOW, it's all about the Benjamins, Yen, Euro, etc... We are right to raise hell about it but I really don't expect anything to change when it comes to business doing business in countries with oppressive governments.

Business is all about finding ways to make money and little else if they can help it.

 

[norseamd]

And they just tried to ban 2 of the most popular parody accounts. I actually follow Darth Putin. Funny guy.

Chairing a national security meeting to plan counter-sanctions against @Support.

http://www.politico.eu/article/twit...dimir-putin-russia-spoof-parody-social-media/

 

[pcgeek11]

Well it is just Twitter.... Meh :\

Does anybody even take that crap seriously?

 

[DucatiMonster696]

We just need more government to save us from governments behaving badly. LOL

In the end businesses like Twitter can only exist by playing ball because governments are the ones who create and set the playing field in terms of who can and cannot compete. So while Twitter maybe looking at its bottom-line that bottom line is very much tied to their ability to operate in a nation and thus to their own need for self-preservation as a business to be able to operate in a given nation. So should we wag our finger at Twitter for doing the obvious and preserving its ability to operate by playing ball with local governments or should we instead focus on the governments who are tightening the screws on social media firms which have proven records of being often vital indirect or direct vehicles for political dissension for those who are unhappy with the status quo?

 

[DucatiMonster696]

China is a perfect example of nations bullying businesses into doing what they want... too many businesses are willing to play ball with oppressive governments just to gain access to their people. IOW, it's all about the Benjamins, Yen, Euro, etc... We are right to raise hell about it but I really don't expect anything to change when it comes to business doing business in countries with oppressive governments.

Business is all about finding ways to make money and little else if they can help it.

Yes and no. You can't tell me with a straight face that a social media firm or a search engine giant like Google is going to thumb their nose at the ChiCom folks in power and still be able to operate in China the next day.

 

[norseamd]

As an example of the power of social media, Biafrans are posting comments and images of the recent Nigerian Army massacre of Biafrans under the recent tweets of Darth Putin, obviously getting a wide audience.

 

[Spungo]

And they just tried to ban 2 of the most popular parody accounts. I actually follow Darth Putin. Funny guy.[/url]

You should also follow Salon.com. It's a parody of Salon, and it's hilarious.
I heard it on the Joe Rogan Experience

 

[norseamd]

Update:

Twitter is now censoring accounts that are not in alignment with Erdogan.

http://www.dailydot.com/layer8/twitter-censorship-journalists-turkey-coup/

 

[Knowing]

Private businesses can do whatever they want as long as the offended party doesn't have special protections. Too bad about the Ukrainians, but Twitter doesn't have to justify their asymmetric application of their rules to anyone.

 

[master_shake_]

twitters a fucking cesspool o idiocy.

can't wait to see them fade away like myspace.

 

[zinfamous]

I agree with you, it is shitty but again, it's their decision to make and all we can do is protest, boycott, ignore or whatever,

It's just business to them.

Agreed. It's really not Twitter's fault that the public at large has chosen to redefine their source of information from a legitimate press industry to an aggregator of individual opinions from strangers.

While the press is also composed of private organizations, they have a general obligation to the public (whether or not some of those organizations choose to follow these obligations, they are still there). Twitter is under no such obligation because its content is randomly created by individuals with no such obligations and dubious, at best, intentions.

Call my cynical, but whenever I see these complaints about "Twitter being suppressed!" I am reminded that such complainers are probably sub-20s and have probably never read a newspaper in their lives. Twitter is not the news, it is not speech, it is under no obligation to serve you. If you spend more than a minute of your lifetime on there, then you have yourself to blame. Let them bow to the pressures of governments and various activist groups, but it's not like you are going to stop using their service. One may think this company is a bastion of speech of information, but Twitter is nothing more than the daily affirmation portal for our encroaching idiocracy.

 

[norseamd]

Agreed. It's really not Twitter's fault that the public at large has chosen to redefine their source of information from a legitimate press industry to an aggregator of individual opinions from strangers.

While the press is also composed of private organizations, they have a general obligation to the public (whether or not some of those organizations choose to follow these obligations, they are still there). Twitter is under no such obligation because its content is randomly created by individuals with no such obligations and dubious, at best, intentions.

Call my cynical, but whenever I see these complaints about "Twitter being suppressed!" I am reminded that such complainers are probably sub-20s and have probably never read a newspaper in their lives. Twitter is not the news, it is not speech, it is under no obligation to serve you. If you spend more than a minute of your lifetime on there, then you have yourself to blame. Let them bow to the pressures of governments and various activist groups, but it's not like you are going to stop using their service. One may think this company is a bastion of speech of information, but Twitter is nothing more than the daily affirmation portal for our encroaching idiocracy.

This may surprise you, but it is actually used as a communication platform by a large number of journalists, intellectuals, policy wonks, and government officials from around the whole world. It does have a major impact when they censor anything involving politics.

 

[zinfamous]

This may surprise you, but it is actually used as a communication platform by a large number of journalists, intellectuals, policy wonks, and government officials from around the whole world. It does have a major impact when they censor anything involving politics.

That doesn't surprise me. I am also aware that citizens under oppressive regimes exclusively depend on Twitter to keep informed and organize by the second during extremely tense situations, like the Iranian uprising a few years ago.

What this tells me is that the Twitter model is a great tool and can be harnessed to good ends, but obviously Twitter is not the answer. Twitter, again, is not the press. It is not neutral, it is not a simple open tech tool that is ever going to be a real avenue for chance.

Twitter's problem is that it is Twitter--it is owned and controlled by the same type of self-serving assclowns, like Julian Assange, who promote this air of open information! social and technological disruption! freedom of speech! All of these are illusions because those class of individuals care only about self-promotion, profit, and dick stroking. Assange is estranged from Wikileaks because no one at wikileaks can stand the asshole. Twitter only cares about their stock price.

Something like an uncontrolled, completely open and yet accountable tool like Twitter, unfettered by any government's control, is the only real answer for that type of tool that journalists and oppressed citizens can rely on.

 

[1prophet]

China is a perfect example of nations bullying businesses into doing what they want... too many businesses are willing to play ball with oppressive governments just to gain access to their people. IOW, it's all about the Benjamins, Yen, Euro, etc... We are right to raise hell about it but I really don't expect anything to change when it comes to business doing business in countries with oppressive governments.

Business is all about finding ways to make money and little else if they can help it.

That's a bullshit mentality that has been parroted so often over the last thirty years along with profit only matters so those in power can do as they please and wash their hands(conscience) of ethics as long as the money keeps flowing in.

No different than then claiming you are against slavery personally, but then turn around and profit from those that legally own slaves in their country by claiming "Business is all about finding ways to make money and little else if they can help it"

 

[norseamd]

That doesn't surprise me. I am also aware that citizens under oppressive regimes exclusively depend on Twitter to keep informed and organize by the second during extremely tense situations, like the Iranian uprising a few years ago.

What this tells me is that the Twitter model is a great tool and can be harnessed to good ends, but obviously Twitter is not the answer. Twitter, again, is not the press. It is not neutral, it is not a simple open tech tool that is ever going to be a real avenue for chance.

Twitter's problem is that it is Twitter--it is owned and controlled by the same type of self-serving assclowns, like Julian Assange, who promote this air of open information! social and technological disruption! freedom of speech! All of these are illusions because those class of individuals care only about self-promotion, profit, and dick stroking. Assange is estranged from Wikileaks because no one at wikileaks can stand the asshole. Twitter only cares about their stock price.

Something like an uncontrolled, completely open and yet accountable tool like Twitter, unfettered by any government's control, is the only real answer for that type of tool that journalists and oppressed citizens can rely on.

For example, a while ago Twitter suspended Darth Putin, because he was giving Putin too many boo boos. When he returned, Biafrans started posting images and links about the Nigerian massacres of Biafran civilians under his tweets. Social media is a very powerful political tool, and the world is going to have to figure out how to keep it open, uncensored, accessible, transparent, and usable.