Author Topic: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account  (Read 3566 times)

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Offline Sigmaleph

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #15 on: November 04, 2017, 09:36:28 pm »
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/02/trump-twitter-account-offline

It seems funny at first (at least if you're anti-Trump like I am), but it gets scary when you think about it.

No, this isn't scary. The actions of the individual employee give us essentially no new information. The scary part is that the president of the US uses a not-especially-secure platform under control of a private company as one his primary means of communication with the world, but we have known this for a year.

"Donald Trump is dangerously incompetent" is not news. This isn't even a new kind of incompetence, it's been on proud display since the beginning. If you are only scared now, you haven't been paying attention.
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Offline Tolpuddle Martyr

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #16 on: November 05, 2017, 01:36:56 am »
As far as I can work out this thread is dedicated to two salient facts.

  • Social media accounts exist.
  • Moderators have broad powers to fuck with people's accounts on said social media should they choose to use them.

Well, yeah - this is true for Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Tumblr and this very site. We knew this already.

Offline Askold

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #17 on: November 05, 2017, 02:39:02 am »
Let's think about this logically.

What harm was done?

Trump couldn't use Twitter for 11 minutes. Would an average person even notice this? This did not silence him, he still had other means to communicate and was even back on Twitter soon enough that I don't think any harm was done.

If an angry employee had targeted some random commoner it might have been more problematic but this person specifically chose Trump knowing that this will be a funny prank and nothing more.


Also, Trump is harassing people on Twitter and using his position and large fan-base to send others to harass his targets. In a fair world he would have been banned from Twitter already (but it's not like they'll dare to ban POTUS.)
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
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Offline Svata

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #18 on: November 05, 2017, 08:31:39 am »
Not ONLY that, but the means they probably used to ban him was one of the MILLIONS of times his tweets have been reported for being in violation of Twitter's Terms of Service. If he was Joe Schlub from Maine, and not Literally the POTUS, he would have been banned MONTHS ago.
"Politician" is the occupational equivalent of "Florida".

Offline Askold

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #19 on: November 05, 2017, 09:49:50 am »
Isn't it more problematic that one of the most powerful men in the world is abusing the rules of Twitter and harassing people and they are allowed to get away with it just because a private company is afraid of the backlash or possible illegal action from Trump?
No matter what happens, no matter what my last words may end up being, I want everyone to claim that they were:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Aww, you guys rock. :)  I feel the love... and the pitchforks and torches.  Tingly!

Art Vandelay

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Re: Twitter Employee Shuts Down Trump's Account
« Reply #20 on: November 05, 2017, 10:17:59 am »
Isn't it more problematic that one of the most powerful men in the world is abusing the rules of Twitter and harassing people and they are allowed to get away with it just because a private company is afraid of the backlash or possible illegal action from Trump?
If anyone can get away with that, it's by definition going to be the most powerful men in the world.