Twitter "blackout" on the 28th by it's users in protest against Twitter censoring tweets...

LordSplodge · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:27

Not seen a thread about this on here but Twitter has announced it will be censoring tweets in certain countries. The online press have called this committing social suicide.

Now I'm a keen Twitter user and I've signed on to the blackout and thus will not be posting any tweets during today (the 28th) and judging by my twitter feed it seems that activity is quite diminished.

Twitter recently got a lot of funding from the notorious human rights violators that is Saudia Arabi. Now I'm wondering if this has anything to do with it. It should also be noted that Twitter played a big part in the Arab Spring. Now if they start censoring tweets I'm wondering if that sort of use for the microblogging site will be off the cards.

The biggest concern fr me is false positives (or worse false negatives) as what is to stop perfectly innocent tweets being blocked? Or worse some potential inflammatory ones getting through. My next biggest concern is this is wide open for abuse by the media cartels. They'd love this as they can take down tweets aplenty.

More info here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidth...sers-call-for-blackout-to-protest-censorship/

Awaits lots of "lol Twitter" and "Twitter is a waste of time" but hopefully some will see why this censorship is a bad thing.

Strife212 · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:27

lolblackout

The other option is taking down the site entirely in those countries.

Roadkillv1 · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:29

too many people are addicted to tweeting every little aspect of their lives to give it a blackout for 10 minutes let alone a day

mufc802 · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:31

Can't they just close it down all together, I just cannot see the point of it.

Edrof · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:34

mufc802 said:
Can't they just close it down all together, I just cannot see the point of it.

Well, I think Manchester United FC is an utterly pointless organisation. Shall we erase that, too? Just because you don't use something doesn't mean everyone shares your view.

Castiel · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:36

Haha...who cares. Spend the time doing something constructive instead......like watching porn or doing the Missus, or someones elses Missus if you don't have one of your own.

If you really must tell random strangers what you had for breakfast, get a phonebook, a bunch of postcards and stamps and write to people.....I'm sure they would be delighted to know that you enjoyed your cumberland sausage (as did next-door neighbours wifes) and you'll be boosting the economy at the same time.

int · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:36

Twitter has been the start point for the Moldova and Iranian election protests as well as the Tunisian revolution, Egyptian revolution and the Arab Spring as a whole.

But no, I can't see the point of it either :rolleyes:

Robbo · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:36

mufc802 said:
Can't they just close it down all together, I just cannot see the point of it.

What's hard to understand? It's a perfectly fine service and has many uses.

Edrof said:
Well, I think Manchester United FC is an utterly pointless organisation. Shall we erase that, too? Just because you don't use something doesn't mean everyone shares your view.

HOW DARE YOU.

(But point well made

)

SuperTronNarwhal · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:36

Whyyyyyyyyyy ahhh

Edrof · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:38

Robbo said:
HOW DARE YOU.

(But point well made )

Ha ha, I wondered if you'd comment (and Amtech)

semi-pro waster · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:40

LordSplodge said:
Awaits lots of "lol Twitter" and "Twitter is a waste of time" but hopefully some will see why this censorship is a bad thing.

While I'm no great fan of Twitter as a communications tool the issue of censorship is a tricky one to manage correctly. I don't think Twitter are going about this well and the general appearance of impartiality in what is posted via the service is, or should be, more important than a short term funding gain (if indeed the two are linked).

LordSplodge · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:54

Castiel said:
Haha...who cares. Spend the time doing something constructive instead......like watching porn or doing the Missus, or someones elses Missus if you don't have one of your own.
.

I suppose being involved in overthrowing tyrants isn't a constructive use of Twitter then? Or even on a more mundane level using it as a news source that often picks up on. Ews either before the mainstream media does or picks up news that they aren't willing or able to cover isn't constructive neither? Where do you think the SOPA protests arose?

If you follow lame celebrities then you won't get much out of Twitter but do not casually dismiss it at a waste of time.

semi-pro waster said:
While I'm no great fan of Twitter as a communications tool the issue of censorship is a tricky one to manage correctly. I don't think Twitter are going about this well and the general appearance of impartiality in what is posted via the service is, or should be, more important than a short term funding gain (if indeed the two are linked).

Twitter have handled this in a terrible fashion, hence why it is being referred to as "social suicide"

Again nobody should expect Twitter not to remove tweets that break local laws but the way they are planning on doing it seems so full of flaws and open to abuse as to be pointless and bad.

Flubble · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:55

Blame the other countries rules, not Twitter, they are trying to make it available to a worldwide audience and I really don't think some guy the other side of the world will care if he can't see what you're tweeting about while on the toilet.

LordSplodge · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:56

mufc802 said:
Can't they just close it down all together, I just cannot see the point of it.

Oh looks there's something I don't understand or use, let's shut it down. Yeah right. :rolleyes:

Danny091 · 28 Jan 2012 at 12:57

Twitter has said it will start blocking tweets in specific countries rather than withholding them across the whole network.

Until now, the microblogging site had to remove a Tweet from across the service if it got a request from a government.

But the company said it now has the ability to block selectively messages from appearing to users in a particular country.

It said examples may include "pro-Nazi content" in France and Germany, where such material is banned.

Isnt this an improvement over what they were doing already?

Castiel · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:00

LordSplodge said:
I suppose being involved in overthrowing tyrants isn't a constructive use of Twitter then? Or even on a more mundane level using it as a news source that often picks up on. Ews either before the mainstream media does or picks up news that they aren't willing or able to cover isn't constructive neither? Where do you think the SOPA protests arose?

If you follow lame celebrities then you won't get much out of Twitter but do not casually dismiss it at a waste of time..

Anyone would think that there were no protests prior to twitter. Twitter is just another social medium, if it didn't exist something else would have been used, it is highly unlikely that the majority of the protestors in the countries like Tunisia/Syria et al heard about or were convinced to protest by Twitter...they were there because they were directly involved, social networks in these countries are far more hands-on than the supposed Western reliance on Social Media.

These protests didnt arise from Twitter, Twitter simply reported them. If not twitter, then FB, or the AP or blogs, or any number of alternatives and the vast majority of people informed by Tweets would have had no involvement in the actual protests themselves.

You give it too much credit and the vast majority of tweets are about having a dump or what you had for lunch.

I'm not saying it should be censored or closed or anything, just that getting upset because you can't tell the world about your mundane life every 10 seconds is no big deal.

mufc802 · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:02

Robbo said:
What's hard to understand? It's a perfectly fine service and has many uses.

Such as? All I can see it used for it reading what boring celebrities are fingering into their phone.

What actual useful purpose does it have that you can't do already?

LordSplodge · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:11

Castiel said:
Anyone would think that there were no protests prior to twitter. Twitter is just another social medium, if it didn't exist something else would have been used, it is highly unlikely that the majority of the protestors in the countries like Tunisia/Syria et al heard about or were convinced to protest by Twitter...they were there because they were directly involved..

Of course there were protests before Twitter. Of course other social platforms such as blogs could be used. However the rapid spreading of news of the protests via Twitter helped speed up the resolutions as well as report on what was actually happening rather than wait for the mainstream news that may not have been able to report first hand.

Nobody is saying that Twitter isn't also full of crap. However it is a good tool for many and one that shouldn't be censored. The Internet bypasses borders now and the old world needs to catch up.

mufc802 said:
Such as? All I can see it used for it reading what boring celebrities are fingering into their phone.

What actual useful purpose does it have that you can't do already?

It's a tool. If you use it to see what JLS have been eating for lunch then good for you but follow the right people and it becomes an excellent news source often picking up things that the mainstream media won't cover.

Yeah you could scour blogs and such for this but Twitter aggregates the feed right into a handy delivery system.

See I was spot on about the "lol Twitter" responses.

~>Dg<~ · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:13

mufc802 said:
Can't they just close it down all together, I just cannot see the point of it.

plus 1000000000000000000000000

its the worst cop out for so many things and for people getting away with not doing proper replies to so many questions .

Pawnless Endgame · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:20

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