Ever since the reputed birth of democracy in Ancient Greece, the notion of censorship has existed. Plato proposed an ideal state in which, amongst other ideologies, damaging gossip was prohibited and heresy was formally suppressed. In Ancient Rome, only those in positions of power had the right to free speech. Dissidents were deported and books were burned. Fast forward almost a couple of thousand years and not much had changed under the Third Reich. Today, in certain closed states across the world people remain incarcerated for their political views and human rights abuses go largely unnoticed.
So it was with interest that I read today that a self-proclaimed bastion of free speech, namely Twitter, has drawn a line in the sand. It is now stating that it has the right to block tweets in a particular country, if the government of that country legally requires it to do so. So why should we care? It’s true, internet giants remove inappropriate and illegal content every day, so why should the rules for Twitter be any different?
Once lauded as an outlet for the politically repressed, and a driver of multiple uprisings across the Arab world, the proverbial brakes are being applied, and this has angered many political activists in that part of the world who feel that free speech is threatened.
Once upon a time, Twitter used to remove an offending tweet and it was gone forever. In this new age you can still see sensitive material in some countries, whilst it will be banned where such laws have been violated.
At odds with the very notion of censorship, Twitter is being forced to reconcile these ideals, in the name of economic expansion around the world.
So is Twitter selling out?
Opinions may be divided. On the one hand, it is setting new benchmarks for best practice – and it claims it has always tried to be transparent in its dealings. On the other hand, certain journalist groups, such as ”Reporters Without Borders”, are claiming that it will deny cyber dissidents of the vital tools they need to share information and organise meaningful protests.
Either way, Twitter’s legacy is undeniable and its fleet-footed and utility value has shaped the way people come together in times of need. Now, with planned expansion from 100 million users to 1 billion users, it stands at a crossroads that threatens its very own philosophy. With expansion comes increased pressure to censor yet more content.
Twitter will surely be judged more by its actions than its stated intentions.
Steve Jennings is an Account Director at BCM.
