Twitter Censors Tweets, Commits Social Media Suicide?

This week, Twitter announced a new way of censoring users' individual tweets in specific countries.

Although Twitter has often played a major role in social media when it comes to controversial topics such as the occupy movement and presidential elections, it has found a new way to censor individual tweets based on what country you live in. Twitter said it will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. 

Critics question whether Twitter has succumbed to the pressure of governments from investors such as Saudi Arabia, where censorship is high. 

Twitter's general counsel Alexander Macgilliviray says that critics are jumping to the wrong conclusions. "This is a good thing for freedom of expression, transparency and accountability," he said. "This launch is about us keeping content up whenever we can and to be extremely transparent with the world when we don't. I would hope people realize our philosophy hasn't changed," he said.

Twitter says it remains committed to protecting free-speech rights. It's just conforming to individual countries ideas of freedom of expression.

Twitter users have called for a day-long boycott, calling it a Twitter Blackout.


The new Twitter censorship hasn't hit the United States, yet. But what if it does?