Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey is again in news for lying under oath to US Congress. He faced a hearing in US Congress in September on social media platform’s controversial history of shadow banning. According to reports, Dorsey lied to US Congress in response to question about death threat against Meghan McCain- daughter of former Senator Johan McCain. It was also reported that he was not truthful about Twitter’s shadow banning of people with conservative leanings. The house committee telecommunication industry is reviewing his response in US Congress “The committee is aware of Twitter’s actions and is currently reviewing Mr. Dorsey’s testimony,” said an aide for the House Energy and Commerce committee.
“I want to start by making something very clear. We don’t consider political viewpoints, perspectives, or party affiliation in any of our policies or enforcement decisions, period,” said Twitter CEO testimony on September 5. However, Twitter’s hateful conduct policy states “We prohibit targeting individuals with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or ‘harmful stereotypes’ about a ‘protected category’.” The point is whom Twitter considers as protected category could be normal for someone other and what harmful stereotypes are as per twitter could be general category for someone other. Twitter hides behind these policies and the undefined words to ban opinions of the people with views different from narrative the social media platform wants to push.
“We believe Twitter and other tech companies should be forthright with Congress and the American people in an effort to shed light on often opaque rules and processes,” said the aide on Twitter’s non-transparent working of the company. “Transparency and trust are essential components of our increasingly digital communication channels,” he added.
Twitter and its CEO are well known for the promotion of left-wing cause. Recently Jack Dorsey generated a controversy on a picture with placard printed ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’ on it. He was criticized by the people of the country for demonizing a community and spreading hatred against it. It is evident that Dorsey putting people from a particular community on risk to promote left-wing cause. He also openly admitted that majority of his employees are left-leaning. In an interview given to CNN Sunday, Dorsey agreed to the fact that his employees are mostly left-leaning but then tried to make up for it by saying that Twitter does not indulge in shadow banning. Twitter has come under severe fire from right wing organizations for suspending known right leaning voices on its platform, political bias has been the reason cited for such acts by the company. The micro blogging site CEO Jack Dorsey did say that the discourses which surround tweets which are political in nature are more enraging in nature than ones surrounding topics like music or sports. Recently the social media platform banned Jesse Kelly, Marine combat veteran and writer and did not have any explanation for banning.
Twitter India is also involved in the same practice, it seems that Twitter India is targeting right wing handles and limiting their outreach which is major threat to flourishing right-wing ecosystem in the country. In India, left- liberal establishment dominated the political and intellectual space since independence. The Twitter’s blow to right wing ecosystem will help left-liberal establishment to perpetuate their views and the populous of the country will not get a chance to read the ‘right’ side of the story. People with different political leaning view every event through different lenses and every side should be free to tell their own story. But the ‘shadow banning’ practice by Twitter India will harm the right-wing cause.