Rep. Matt Gaetz accused Twitter of censoring user content during the George Floyd protests, which have at times erupted into riots.
Responding to a Wednesday article published by Just the News, the Florida Republican said Twitter officials have “tilted the scales” to enforce community standards against conservatives who use the platform.
“Big tech companies like Twitter appear to care more about the public’s perception of their brand than allowing free discourse on their platform,” tweeted Gaetz. “They have tilted the scales to editorialize and shape our conversations.”
Big tech companies like Twitter appear to care more about the public’s perception of their brand than allowing free discourse on their platform.
They have tilted the scales to editorialize and shape our conversations.
(via Daniel Payne @JustTheNews)https://t.co/I2Cg3OEFY8
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) June 3, 2020
Both Gaetz and President Trump had tweets they posted flagged by the company for “glorifying violence.” Last week, Twitter slapped a warning label on tweets from the president calling protesters “THUGS” and implying they could be shot. The social media giant added a similar alert to a tweet from Gaetz about hunting down members of antifa on Monday.
Meanwhile, Twitter was accused of sparing several high-profile, verified Twitter accounts from the same label, including former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, editor Rachel Hislop, and socialist magazine Jacobin.
“The double standard exhibited by these tech giants is staggering,” Gaetz told Just the News. “Twitter targets users like President Trump and myself when we promote the America First view that people should be held accountable for their violent actions but allow accounts espousing antifa’s violent propaganda to remain online. We need to bring an end to this unacceptable hypocrisy by reforming the laws that give entities like Twitter so much protection.”
