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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey spoke about his passion for Bitcoin and decentralization in a 13-tweet thread today explaining why the company banned US President Donald Trump from the platform last week. Although claiming it was the “right move for Twitter,” Dorsey admits it sets a dangerous precedent.
Having to take these actions fragments the public conversation. They divide us. They limit the potential for clarification, redemption and learning. And sets a precedent that seems dangerous to me: the power that an individual or business has over part of the global public conversation.
– jack (@jack) January 14, 2021
Trump was banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other social media platforms on January 7 after being accused of inciting supporters to storm the Capitol building, resulting in the deaths of four people. Social media have said they fear Trump is using them to “further incite violence.”
In today’s Twitter thread, Dorsey provides a more in-depth explanation, admitting that the decision was not taken lightly and will have “real and significant ramifications.” He said that even though this event was simply “a business making the business decision to moderate”, it may sound very similar to “the government removing access”.
Dorsey Explain that he did not want Twitter’s unilateral action to “erode a free and open global Internet” and suggested that Bitcoin’s decentralization model is a better way to approach Internet control and moderation in the future .
Bitcoin demonstrates “what the Internet wants to be, and over time it will be more,” adding:
“The reason I have so much passion for Bitcoin is in large part because of the model it demonstrates: a fundamental internet technology that is neither controlled nor influenced by a single person or entity.”
The CEO also reminded readers that Twitter is actively trying to move towards a decentralized future, “funding an initiative around an open decentralized standard for social media.”
Twitter is funding a small, independent team of five open source architects, engineers and designers to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. The goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a customer of this standard.
– jack (@jack) December 11, 2019
Dorsey released the explanation as news of Trump’s impeachment by the House of Representatives emerged. The thread, although only two hours old, has already received over 41,000 likes.
