The Twitter logo is displayed on a banner outside the New York Stock Exchange on November 7, 2013 in New York City. (Photo: Andrew Burton via Getty Images)
Twitter Reports Rise in Governments Demanding Removal of Journalists' Content
The social media giant said that in the second half of 2020, the accounts of nearly 200 verified reporters and news outlets worldwide faced 361 legal demands to remove content—a 26% increase from the first half of the year.
In a biannual transparency report published on Wednesday, Twitter revealed that the second half of 2020 was marked by a surge in government demands to delete information shared by reporters and news publishers, an alarming trend for advocates of press freedom.
The social media giant said that in the second half of 2020, "199 accounts of verified journalists and news outlets from around the world were subject to 361 legal demands" to remove content--a 26% increase from the first half of the year.
According to Twitter's report, the platform took down five tweets from verified journalists and news outlets. Of those, four tweets were "withheld" in Brazil and one in France.
India issued 128 removal requests during the second half of last year, the most among countries. India was followed by Turkey (108), Pakistan (52), and Russia (28).
The report noted that "Twitter also received an increase of legal demands including accounts from verified journalists and news outlets from a wider range of jurisdictions, such as Brazil (16), Mexico (9), Thailand (9), Ireland (3), France, (2), Colombia (2), and Venezuela (2)."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In a biannual transparency report published on Wednesday, Twitter revealed that the second half of 2020 was marked by a surge in government demands to delete information shared by reporters and news publishers, an alarming trend for advocates of press freedom.
The social media giant said that in the second half of 2020, "199 accounts of verified journalists and news outlets from around the world were subject to 361 legal demands" to remove content--a 26% increase from the first half of the year.
According to Twitter's report, the platform took down five tweets from verified journalists and news outlets. Of those, four tweets were "withheld" in Brazil and one in France.
India issued 128 removal requests during the second half of last year, the most among countries. India was followed by Turkey (108), Pakistan (52), and Russia (28).
The report noted that "Twitter also received an increase of legal demands including accounts from verified journalists and news outlets from a wider range of jurisdictions, such as Brazil (16), Mexico (9), Thailand (9), Ireland (3), France, (2), Colombia (2), and Venezuela (2)."
In a biannual transparency report published on Wednesday, Twitter revealed that the second half of 2020 was marked by a surge in government demands to delete information shared by reporters and news publishers, an alarming trend for advocates of press freedom.
The social media giant said that in the second half of 2020, "199 accounts of verified journalists and news outlets from around the world were subject to 361 legal demands" to remove content--a 26% increase from the first half of the year.
According to Twitter's report, the platform took down five tweets from verified journalists and news outlets. Of those, four tweets were "withheld" in Brazil and one in France.
India issued 128 removal requests during the second half of last year, the most among countries. India was followed by Turkey (108), Pakistan (52), and Russia (28).
The report noted that "Twitter also received an increase of legal demands including accounts from verified journalists and news outlets from a wider range of jurisdictions, such as Brazil (16), Mexico (9), Thailand (9), Ireland (3), France, (2), Colombia (2), and Venezuela (2)."