Published 20:44 IST, May 28th 2020
Fact Check: Is Donald Trump shutting down social media after Twitter flagged his tweet?
Fact Check: There have been claims that US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to shut down social media platforms in the United States.
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White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany informed that US President Donald Trump will soon sign an executive order related to social media after the latter threatened to regulate or shut it down following the fact-check label on one of his tweets. Social media is abuzz with speculations of Trump shutting down social media platforms in the United States after his Twitter meltdown in which he accused the micro-blogging platform of bias against Republicans and try to silence conservative voices.
Origin:
The controversy started when Twitter flagged Trump's tweets regarding mail-in ballots which the US President has opposing tooth and nail for a long time saying it will be used to rig the elections. The US President accused Twitter, which has already banned political ads, of meddling in the presidential polls and said that the micro-blogging site is doing “everything” in power to censor the elections in advance.
Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
....happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
So is Trump really shutting down social media? Here's the truth:
While the White House has confirmed that Trump will be signing an executive order, it didn't give any further details about what to expect from the order. According to a report by Associated Press, the order will be aimed at curbing liability protections for social media companies and the proposed would direct executive branch agencies to study whether they can place new rules on the companies. Even if Trump signs the order on regulation, apprehensions have been whether it will pass the legal test since it has been shelved in the past due to similar fears.
Twitter CEO stands by company's fact-check label
On May 28, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that not only the company will continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally but will also admit to and own any mistakes Twitter makes. In a series of tweets, he indirectly took a jibe at Zuckerberg saying the action does not make the company the “arbiter of truth” since the intention is to "connect the dots of conflicting statements" and show the information in dispute so people can judge for themselves.
20:44 IST, May 28th 2020