Twitter put one of President Trump’s tweets behind a notice on Monday after it deemed the contents were trying to dissuade people from voting.
The tweet is blocked from view by default with a warning that the user can acknowledge by clicking to reveal the contents.
In the tweet Trump refers to mail drop boxes as “a voter security disaster” and asserts they are “a big fraud”. Twitter’s message reads “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” A ‘Learn more’ link takes you through to the explanation of the rule.
Per our policies, this Tweet will remain on the service given its relevance to ongoing public conversation. Engagements with the Tweet will be limited. People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but not Like, Reply, or Retweet it. pic.twitter.com/USuaRr5ING
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) August 23, 2020
Trump has in recent weeks appeared to seek to disrupt the national discourse on mail voting, claiming it is a fraudulent system, and instating Louis Dejoy, a Republican donor, as Postmaster General.
It is not the first time Twitter has sought to flag Trump’s misleading tweets. The company first fact-checked a Presidential tweet in May when Trump posted about mail-in ballot fraud. Twitter deemed the claims unsubstantiated. It also shows how long Trump has been seeding doubt in the postal system as a viable means of voting.
Twitter has taken more action against Trump’s tweets than other social media platforms such as Facebook as the election nears.
Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.