The emergence of social media has put an end to ‘dominant coalition’s’ monopoly over freedom of speech and expression. With television as a medium of information receding into oblivion, the internet is taking the center stage today. Social media has truly democratised the freedom of speech and expression. But, this democratisation is not liked by many especially by the left-liberal cabal. They try their level best to suppress the dissenting voices and opinions by hook or crook. Even popular social media sites like facebook and twitter have been often accused of shadow banning or suspending accounts belonging to the people of a particular ideology.
During a debate on Republic TV, Arnab Goswami revealed the hypocrisy of twitter with respect to freedom of press and speech. Arnab said that when a senior twitter executive was confronted and asked by a Republic TV journalist the reason-why people belonging to a particular political persuasion generally get verified handles-the senior Twitter executive got agitated and wrote a complaint to Republic TV against the reporter. Arnab further claimed that the individual wanted to use her corporate influence on Republic TV. The anchor went on to ask Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey about the action he took against the Twitter executive who frequently misuses her position to curb the freedom of expression of working journalists in this country.
#TwitterControversy | The bias of Twitter is well-known, it's not discovered today. Sure there is patriarchy across religions, the point is not the poster, the point is selectivity: Anand Ranganathan, Author & Scientist pic.twitter.com/DdVO1YyYos
— Republic (@republic) November 20, 2018
Arnab Goswami did not stop here and revealed that the said executive was present in the picture with Jack Dorsey in which he had held up the anti-Brahmin placard.
During Twitter CEO @jack's visit here, he & Twitter's Legal head @vijaya took part in a round table with some of us women journalists, activists, writers & @TwitterIndia's @amritat to discuss the Twitter experience in India. A very insightful, no-words-minced conversation 😊 pic.twitter.com/LqtJQEABgV
— Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) November 18, 2018
This chilling revelation clearly exposes the hypocrisy and arrogance of twitter and its employees. It also shows that they are not ready to accept their bias against people belonging to a particular ideology. To quote author and scientist Anand Ranganathan, “The bias of Twitter is well-known, it’s not discovered today. Sure there is patriarchy across religions, the point is not the poster, the point is selectivity.”
#TwitterControversy | The bias of Twitter is well-known, it's not discovered today. Sure there is patriarchy across religions, the point is not the poster, the point is selectivity: Anand Ranganathan, Author & Scientist pic.twitter.com/DdVO1YyYos
— Republic (@republic) November 20, 2018
In August, Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO in an interview with CNN Sunday 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.
"We do not look at content with regards to political viewpoint or ideology," @Jack told me. But he knows some people do not believe him. "I think we need to constantly show that we are not adding our own bias, which I fully admit is left, is more left-leaning," he says… pic.twitter.com/1i8jJunhfz
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 18, 2018
His assent to the fact that the number of left leaning employees in Twitter outnumbers the neutral or right leaning employees is a proof that Twitter has indeed been indulging in shadow banning. If not by banning the right leaning accounts then certainly by drowning their content and curtailing reach on the platforms through shadow banning.
According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights — adopted by the United Nations in 1948 — appearing in the preamble and Article 19:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” But nowadays what popular social media sites are doing is a clear cut violation of this declaration of Human rights.
