avatarJoshua Davis

Summary

The article discusses concerns over Twitter's automated moderation practices, which the author argues lead to unfair censorship and a lack of transparency, particularly in relation to discussions about COVID-19.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses frustration with Twitter's moderation policies, which they claim result in unjustified bans without clear reasons or the possibility of appeal. The author was banned from Twitter for a tweet related to COVID-19 and argues that the ban was issued by an automated system without human oversight. They highlight the inconsistency and arbitrariness of Twitter's enforcement of its rules, pointing out that the platform's treatment of users discussing sensitive topics can change rapidly and without warning. The article also touches on the broader implications of such practices, suggesting that they lead to self-censorship and an environment of fear, rather than fostering open dialogue. The author calls for increased vigilance and accountability from social media companies to ensure fair treatment of users and maintain the integrity of public discourse.

Opinions

  • The author believes that Twitter's ToS is applied inconsistently, favoring certain classes of people, which they find unjust.
  • They argue that Twitter's ban on their account was not due to security concerns but rather a form of censorship, as evidenced by the lack of a confirmation code to reset their password.
  • The author criticizes the arbitrary nature of Twitter's rules, which they say can change from month to month, leading to confusion and overly harsh punishments.
  • They suggest that the aggressive and sometimes violent enforcement of rules during the pandemic, such as the removal of a transit rider for not wearing a mask, is counterproductive and instills fear to maintain control.
  • The author asserts that Twitter's moderation is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of behavior, as indicated by a pinned thread on Reddit discussing similar experiences from other users.
  • They claim that Twitter's auto-moderation system is flawed, as it misinterprets manual user behavior as automated, leading to unjustified bans.

Twitter Bullying Their Users is not OK

We need to teach our social media companies to be good citizens

How the 2020 tweet police let you know when you’re out of line. #tweetcrime

UPDATE: “The public interest exception d̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶ mean(s) that any eligible public official can Tweet whatever they want, even if it violates the Twitter Rules.” So Twitter’s ToS is applied on the basis of one’s class. If you exist in a protected class of people then you are entitled to a public-interest exception. This means you can violate Twitter’s ToS at-will and not receive a ban.

Earlier today I was insta-banned by Twitter with no warning and no ability to seek an appeal. Even worse, Twitter won’t come clean and tell you why your account was banned so that they can later pretend it was just a “technical glitch.” Twitter tells their community that “there has been some unusual activity on the account” and they tell you that your account has been “locked for security purposes.” They then ask you to reset your password. But when you attempt to reset your password they require a confirmation code which they refuse to send to you. It doesn’t matter how many times you ask for the code they won’t send it. Which means that this has nothing to do with security and everything to do with censorship. Their actions clearly contradict their words. Later I expect them to come back and say that it was all just a technical glitch and not to take it personal.

This was not Twitter passing judgement on my actions on their platform nor was it caused by some negative impact I was having upon their users. This ban happened within a few seconds of my tweet being posted which indicates it was a fully automated process (see proof below). This was Twitter deciding to limit what people can say about C-O-V-I-D-19 on Twitter using automated policing. I can’t even type it out normally because it’s now become a dirty word on social media.

A month ago talking about CV was fine and today it gets you banned. This type of treatment is arbitrary, and harsh. Does this punishment fit this crime? If not then perhaps we have to admit that something unjust is happening here.

Here was the original tweet:

I plead guilty to the following tweet crimes:

  1. Using MILLIONS and NOW in all caps is obnoxious.
  2. I used the CV word.
  3. I’m talking about something controversial.
  4. I used an exclamation point when doing so was unnecessary!

I tweeted twice in a five minute period about CV and that was all it took to get me banned. I ask you ladies and gentlemen of the Medium jury does the punishment of a ban fit these crimes? however heinous these acts may be, is a ban justified? If not, how else are we to understand Twitter’s ban of my account? Is this not censorship?

Rules governing how we should act during a pandemic change daily

What the government asked us to do last month (don’t hoard masks because our healthcare workers need them) will get you violently removed from public transit today. Not only that but this rule is being arbitrarily enforced and the Philly Transit Riders Union says they were never directed to require riders to wear masks. See this tweet: Throwing off riders for not having masks. Are masks a requirement for riders? The Philly Transit Riders Union also put out a statement saying that:

On Thursday, SEPTA “urged” riders to wear face masks, despite masks still being listed as a prohibited item on other parts of SEPTA’s website.

Why then was this man bullied and told he could not ride public transit? And why the excessive use of force?

Philadelphia police drag man without mask off public bus, prompting policy change

This kind of arbitrary and violent enforcement of authority just creates confusion. It is used to instill fear so that authorities can “maintain control” of a situation that is clearly out of everyone’s control. It inspires people to commit self-censorship of their behaviors and actions, which in turn makes it easier for an authority to control the civilian populace.

“You’re the exception, Twitter doesn’t just ban people”

You’re kidding me right? Have you ever been to /r/twitter before? look at the top of the page, the very first pinned thread right at the top. Now tell me that this behavior is odd. That’s why vigilance is required to actively call out this type of bad behavior.

People need to wake up and realize that censorship is happening all the time on Twitter. If anyone else tells you otherwise they are gaslighting you. Phone number verification problems are happening to everyone. This is by design as a means of achieving an end, namely, shutting down speech they don’t like. See the thread below:

“Many of us are aware of the arbitrary enforcement of random rules and punishments (that are being) passed out due to (the) enforcement (of those random rules) … There are also a large amount of issues pertaining to not receiving texts from Twitter.”

Twitter auto-moderation consists of an “arbitrary enforcement of random rules and punishments“— /r/twitter moderators

Ladies and gentlemen of the Medium jury I rest my case.

We need to treat people better

When someone says something controversial about this pandemic maybe we should stop and consider the following:

  1. Realize that everyone from time to time says and does dumb things.
  2. Be nice but be firm.
  3. Tell the person that what they said, “was not appropriate and may be cause for offense.”
  4. Give the person a chance to rephrase what they said or delete it.
  5. If they refuse to acknowledge that what they said was harmful then practice social media distancing.
  6. Once they realize that their words have resulted in a social media quarantine they will have a change of heart and decide to reconsider what they said.

We can all be better humans during this crisis. Thank you.

4/13 UPDATE: Proof I was right, this ban was completely automated

“Your account appears to have exhibited automated behavior that violates the Twitter Rules: https://support.twitter.com/articles/18311.”

There was no automated behavior on my account. Twitters response makes it clear that their ban was a fully automated process to police their platform. I was logged into Twitter and had manually posted a tweet moments before the ban came down. But the fact that twitter interpreted this action as “automated behavior” shows that anyone can trip one of their filters in the wrong way if they talk about something the algorithm believes “violates the Twitter Rules.” As a user I can’t learn from this event because Twitter has never informed me what rule was violated. I also don’t know what specific behavior I took which violated the rules. The fact that I can’t learn why this ban occurs makes it clear that Twitter doesn’t care if their users understand why they were banned. This type of confusion around a social media platforms policy is the most effective way to produce self- censorship.

And of course it’s still impossible to get a code so that I can regain access to my account. If Twitter really wanted me to regain my access, don’t you think they would just send a verification code to my email? Obviously they only want the outward appearance of being a responsible social media company, not the costly reality. So it looks like I’m still banned from Twitter just because I mentioned CV.

UPDATE: Twitter has now restored my access, here is the proof.

Twitter
Bullying
Social Media
Twitter Bans
Censorship
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