Twitter Makes Sure Deleted Tweets Stay Gone
What does this mean for transparency?
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Twitter has effectively shut down a popular and controversial Twitter-scraping service that allowed activists and journalists alike to keep tabs on their favorite (or not so) politicians’ and diplomats’ online activities.
Politwoops and Diplotwoops existed as a way to archive deleted tweets from politicians and diplomats. Twitter cut off their API access (in a nutshell, API access is what allows developers to create programs integrable with services like Twitter) after ruling that preserving and posting deleted tweets violated the site’s terms of service.
The OpenState Foundation immediately retaliated, claiming that the move constitutes a blow to transparency:
Arjan El Fassed (director of Open State Foundation): ‘What elected politicians publicly say is a matter of public record. Even when tweets are deleted, it’s part of parliamentary history. These tweets were once posted and later deleted. What politicians say in public should be available to anyone. This is not about typos but it is a unique insight on how messages from elected politicians can change without notice.’
Open State Foundation will continue to explore and engage with others to keep public messages by elected politicians visible. The public has rights guaranteed under many constitutions to access information that was made at least temporarily available to the public.
This is true. Anyone currently active on Twitter knows how valuable a service it can be for those who are curious about who their representatives are outside of the halls of the Capitol. In this gotcha world that we live in, deleted tweets scream “COVERUP!” and lead to more scandal than would the original tweet—which is, of course, one of the reasons why Twitter chose to axe API access.
Twitter’s response to Open State’s request for comment, however, is also valid—if not more so:
Twitter said that its decision to suspend access to Politwoops followed a ‘thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors’ and that it doesn’t distinguish between users. Twitter wrote: ‘Imagine how nerve-racking – terrifying, even – tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable? No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.’
“Nerve-racking and terrifying” are apt descriptors for how it feels to have your every move scrutinized—and that’s why Twitter’s point will likely win the cycle even over the objections of transparency groups.
One more point that bears repeating—these services violated Twitter’s terms of service for developers:
Here’s what Twitter’s Developer Agreement & Policy document tells users (emphasis ours):
Only surface Twitter activity as it surfaced on Twitter. For example, your Service should execute the unfavorite and delete actions by removing all relevant Content, not by publicly displaying to other users that the Tweet is no longer favorited or has been deleted.
In short: Politwoops broke the rules, so it’s out, regardless of any purported public service it’s performing.
Politicians still view social media platforms and digital interaction as a risk—and rightly so; outside the hands of a skillful consultant or staffer, things can quickly go south. Some use these platforms as a bare-bones source of information, while others use them to build relationships with their constituents—but all of them choose to engage under the terms provided by the platform.
Twitter allows users to delete tweets, and wishes that those tweets stay deleted, “as an expression of the user’s voice.” The bright side? Nothing is stopping us from scouring timelines, taking screenshots, and staying engaged with our representatives online—which, at least in my opinion, is a much more informative way of holding them accountable for what they say both on and off the chamber floor.
h/t The Hill
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Comments
Oh, don’t you worry…they’ll reverse that decision the moment a Republican administration takes office.
And another foot shooting in the news.
Funny how these tech geniuses are so out of touch.
Makes you wonder how they came up with the original idea because they aren’t showing any innovative thinking lately or even understand what it is that people like about the media they’ve created.
You do realize Twitter would be in legal jeopardy in numerous countries if it allowed those programs in violation of the Terms of Service, yes? Don’t you?
The fact is, that everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes. To have EVERYTHING you’ve ever said and done to be permanently available to anyone on the planet – that is a bad idea.
One thing about the Wild West: you could always get a second chance. No photos, no fingerprints, if you made a mistake in life, you could go out and start over again, having learned. Now, with people like Eric Schmidt at Google, many of our young people will never have a chance to overcome some indiscretion on the internet or in life. Eric Schmidt is a heartless cretin. Twitter is so right about this.
Oh, if we were still the Wild West, the vast majority of the “DC elite” would six feet under on Boot Hill. Back then bald faced liars who steal from you didn’t last long.
I actually agree with you however, the law and society as practiced does not allow second chances.
In fact some make it there life career to discover and promulgate anyone’s previous mistakes in various fields of endeavor.
You can’t arm yourself legally if 40 years ago you acted foolishly and were arrested and then told you could plead guilty and be released not knowing the conviction would remain on your record forever.
I agree, our culture should allow 2nd chances depending on circumstances but that’s not the reality.
Absolutely…..if you’re impulsive and post things ‘off the cuff’…….STAY AWAY from social media…….It’s not rocket surgery.
This comment was in reference to tphiip
“To have EVERYTHING you’ve ever said and done to be permanently available to anyone on the planet – that is a bad idea.”
Ummm….Is someone putting a gun to people’s heads and making them post to twitter? Or writing on their Facebook page? Or putting pictures in Instagram?
The fact is people are CHOOSING to put this stuff out for everyone to see. And then they, and people like you, wail, cry and moan when you “make a mistake” and put something out in public you regret.
I have a simple solution to avoid those situations: DON’T POST IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. Just like it is a choice to post to public forums, it is also a choice not to.
Blaming others for your mistakes…It may be common in the US, but it still does not garner sympathy from those being blamed. Just a right click, a “Save As”, and a hopeful future opportunity to point out your hypocrisy.
So what if Twitter deletes posts? Anyone who is interested can record these 140 character pithy utterances when they are made. The very reason we have journalists is to record important things that happen and important words that are spoken.
History doesn’t record itself.
The bottom line is that Twitter is a private company and can do whatever it likes. The “Open State Foundation” is full of ****, because Twitter is not part of the state. Tweets are not “parliamentary history”, because they are not made on the floor of parliament.
Maybe so, but the comments are made on a public forum, so…
I’m conflicted about this.