January 13th local time, Jack Dorsey, founder and CEO of the American social media platform Twitter, tweeted that it was “right thing to permanently block US President Trump’s personal tweets”, but this move would also have a negative impact on the open and free Internet.
Jack Dorsey said in his multiple tweets on the 13th, “We are not happy or proud of closing the Trump account @realDonaldTrump. This decision is based on some information that Twitter has on both online and offline that poses a threat to personal safety, and is issuing a clear warning to Trump. Action taken after the notice.”
“Is this decision correct?” He went on to write, “I believe it was the right decision for Twitter.” Nevertheless, Dorsey said that the decision was also a failure of Twitter, indicating that the platform was not enough to allow different groups to have “health conversations”.
He also acknowledged that this move would have a negative impact on an open and free Internet.
In response to criticism that “a few big company bosses can decide who can or cannot say something on the Internet”, Dorsey responded that “a company making a business decision to adjust itself is different from the government’s cancellation of access, although it feels similar.”
On January 6th local time, a violent demonstration broke out in Washington, D.C., and some Trump supporters rushed into the Capitol.
January 8, Twitter announced a “permanent ban” of Trump’s personal accounts, citing “there is a risk of further incitement to violence”.
The BBC reported on the 14th that Twitter’s decision to close Trump’s account also received praise and criticism from the outside world. German Chancellor Merkel previously said that freedom of speech is a fundamental right and Twitter is “problematic” to close Trump’s account.
