Twitter to have extra flexibility to censor messagesJanuary 27, 2012 - 10:37 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Twitter, the microblogging service, gave itself extra flexibility to censor information in parts of the world that impose restrictions on self-expression. According to Bloomberg, Twitter added the ability to censor tweets on a country-by-country basis, rather than globally, the company said in a blog post. As Twitter expands, it gains a deeper toehold in countries that have what it called “different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression.” San Francisco-based Twitter said the changes would let it withhold a posting, or tweet, in a country where a particular kind of content is banned - it cited France and Germany, which ban pro-Nazi propaganda. “Twitter needs global expansion,” said Jeremiah Owyang, an analyst at Altimeter Group in San Mateo, California. The shift would let Twitter comply with strictures in one country without having to pull offending tweets from its entire audience. Previously, Twitter banned offensive content on a global basis, rather than for a specific nation. Twitter has been used as an agent of social change in parts of the world such as the Middle East. “Governments are on notice how social networks can dramatically impact” whether they survive, Owyang said. The company will attempt to let the user know if a tweet is censored and will clearly mark when the content has been blocked, it said in the blog. Twitter, with more than 100 million users, is grappling with more scrutiny about how it handles user content as it expands. Twitter said yesterday it was preparing to add the languages of Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu. The company said it has not yet used the ability to censor by country. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. Family of Ilham Aliyev’s security chief owns vast property in UK As head of security for Azerbaijan’s president, Eyyubov is closely trusted by one of the world’s most authoritarian leaders. |