Why Did Twitter Suspend Conservative Group ‘Empower Texans’ from its Site?
- Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:00pm by
Buck Sexton
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As social media sites like Twitter increasingly dominate public discourse, there are occasional reminders that these digital platforms are private companies, not public utilities. Twitter can pick and choose who uses its services, fair or not. “Empower Texas” may be getting a sour taste of this reality.
Redstate.com is reporting that Twitter has booted the influential state level conservative group “Empower Texans” from all of its services. And as the group states on its website here, Twitter did not just suspend the main group feed — it took offline the tweeting capability of every individual member in the group as well.
Before anyone goes too far, there are many possibilities other than a politicized decision about the tweets and tweet-nots. The Twitter service takes accounts offline for a variety of reasons. Here is a section of Twitter’s terms of service:
The Services that Twitter provides are always evolving and the form and nature of the Services that Twitter provides may change from time to time without prior notice to you. In addition, Twitter may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the Services (or any features within the Services) to you or to users generally and may not be able to provide you with prior notice.
But Empower Texans appears aware of the Twitter terms, stating this on its main page:
“Individual Twitter accounts are suspended everyday for a litany of reasons only to be reinstated after a quick review. The fact that an organizational feed, along with the personal accounts of all those associated with the organization, were suspended at the same time is odd and raises concern. Even more so that they were suspended with no notice or warning.”
Empower Texans claims it is unaware of any violation of Twitter’s terms of service, and received no advance warning about the service suspension. The group also raises the possibility that the suspension is the result of some kind of prank — or perhaps a concerted campaign by other users to mark its tweets as “spam.”
So, until Twitter publicly comments on the suspension, or Empower Texans is back online tweeting away, it remains to be seen why a group that is an important conservative voice in Texas has had one of its communication outlets hobbled.
Empower Texans is still going strong on Facebook though– it has over 18,700 friends.
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Comments (127)
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:38pmPolitical move on the part of Twitter; pure and simple.
Report Post »Zer0
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:42pmTwitter supports and advocates free speech and open dialogues….as long as it is not Conservative.
Progressives…silencing opposing views since 1912.
Report Post »orkydorky
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:15pmJust dropped my account like a hot rock, hope all conservatives do!
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on July 26, 2011 at 5:39amI‘m on Twitter but I don’t tweet. I’m there to follow other people that I want to keep up with, for example Glenn is one that I follow.
Report Post »mike119
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:35pmWhat he said!
Report Post »jjoy
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:29pmNOTICE to all conservatives:
Dump “twitter” immediately!!!
Report Post »booger71
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:37pmNever had it, never will
Report Post »MGB-CPA
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:50pmI don‘t use twitter and don’t have plans to use it in the future.
Report Post »red1
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 6:00pmUnless Twitter offers a reasonable explanation for this I will stop using it.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:26pmAnyone who doesn‘t think that election day tweeting and flash mobbing isn’t a Czar led coordination for the Soros/obama progressive fear mongerers needs a wake-up. Truth means nothing to them except when it is actually factually broadcast. They want a monopoly on the election day tactics..
Report Post »mossbrain
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:21pmThe hell with Twitter I suggest a new service be created called titter.
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:33pm“Nanny government is not the solution. Solve the problem yourselves.” Go for it.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:41pmConservative coalitions are building around the dinner tables across America. Who needs twits top tweet? Even the kiddos are waking up…
Report Post »RedheadTexan
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:20pmI’m not going to make any judgement against Twitter YET. Most social networking sites have a policy in place where if an account suddenly gets large numbers of “reports” against it, then an automatic suspension is triggered until the reports and content can be reviewed. This is because of the assumption that if something gets a thousand complaints in an hour, something must be wrong. Unfortunately, people know this, so groups get together and report every single post by a person/group they want to silence, reguardless of content. They are the internet equivalent of free speech crushing flash mobs.
Report Post »TerryJ70
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:19pmLook no further for the reason. You already identified the reason: Empower Texans is “an important conservative voice in Texas.”
When our current administration can go to a media outlet and have someone removed because they are “unfriendly” to their cause, why wouldn’t one think it could happen to the likes of Twitter. They fear no one.
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:18pmI just tweeted that Twitter is a waste of time because no one wwants to know what you are doing EVERY SECOND OF YOUR PATHETIC LIFE. Respectively Speaking..
Report Post »I SPY
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:17pmI don’t Tweet or Twitter.
Report Post »LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:16pmonly ..Twits .. Tweet and Twitter
Report Post »SheriS
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:17pmTwitter is something I refuse to do—people send you messages that don’t make sense and you pay for that by the letter! Then you have the “idiots” that hack into your phone and twitter account—is that the way you want to throw your money away! I don‘t and won’t activate my account! Toke me a couple of years before I even signed up for Facebook and now my account is hacked all the time with spam! Nutcases seem to have taken over our country and don’t care what they do to other people to get their jollies!
Report Post »slade37
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 5:31pmFirst off, Twitter is a free service, and it’s not by the letter – unless you’re doing it from your mobile phone and even then, a tweet is all text – uses a fraction of a data plan. Photos and videos would eat away at that data plan. Twitter limits each post to 140 characters.
My Facebook (and MySpace when I had it) remained spam free. If you saw spam, you or your friends may have fallen for a scam and had your account compromised. Changing passwords usually fixes that. You may have also used a non-secured Wi-Fi connection and someone was scanning the signal as you used it.
I’ve never been hacked, and my home Wi-Fi restricts access based on the MAC address of the hardware (an address unique to each device – only the devices I allow can even connect to it. Replace a broken Wi-Fi card and I have to give that new card permission before it can do anything.)
For the record, older people are on Facebook because it’s an easy way to stay in touch and share photos with friends and relatives out of state. New baby in the family – post pictures and share with any family member who’s online. …and you can limit access to only certain people. Easier than sending individual emails and no postage involved. However, I am a big believer in sending actual cards and letters from time to time. For instant family news, the online services are great. My dad goes to the ER, and I can tell everyone. I can still call people, but I don’t have numbers for all of my relatives.
Report Post »This_Individual
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:17pmNot to worry, there are far more efficient ways to communicate, empower, and bring like minded people together.
Report Post »ghostsouls
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:17pmYou know, we know how the liberal media is. We see their bias everyday, in everything they do. So, some of you tech savvy guys, need to make a similar twitter type of thing, just for the conservative base. I am not suggesting copyright infringement, but look how myspace started then came facebook, and now google circles. Start a similar conservative platform, that will not base their subscriptions on liberal bias. They want to open up twitter so everyone can tweet, but only as long as you are a liberal, fine, every independent, conservative and republican or believer in freedom of speech, needs to resign their account, until a newer better form of the service emerges. Boycott twitter! I am sick of the liberals trying to shut down anyone and everyone who is a conservative.
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:16pmI just tweeted that I ate breakfast
Report Post »mike119
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:38pmI just tweeted that I TOOTED.
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:54pmI just tweeted that shtinks.
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:16pmI just tweeted that I woke up
Report Post »True American66
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:31pmCould you tweet the words “Empower Texans”?….I’d be very curious to see how many people retweet it….or if you get “disabled” too…are you game?
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:53pmIt’s already been twitterfied
Report Post »white_wolves
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:15pmAh twitter….those twits…well we will see if it is allowed back on or not. If they are not allowed back on then we know Twitter has sold out. However, Sarah Palin and other such Conservatives are still going strong on Twitter so I would like to believe that they are not favoring any side. But if we start to see an ongoing trend with Conservatives accounts being deleted then rest assured that they we be making a huge mistake.
Report Post »South Philly Boy
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:14pmCommunist
Report Post »elosogrande
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:13pmDo you believe in Censevative politics? Dump Twitter – get all of your friends to dump Twitter. Tell them to get their friends to dump Twitter. It‘s really a lot of useless and time wasting crap that you didn’t even have a year to two ago. You really don’t need it. Bite the bullet and quite wasting all of that time Tweeting nonesense all over the country.
Report Post »Aequitas
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:13pmNothing wrong with Twitter exercising a little social darwinism
Report Post »semihardrock
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:12pmPROBABLY because left wingers are sending racist tweets posing as right wing to get the accounts suspended. Thats my guess….“By Any Means” is the motto!
Report Post »johnnyrockett
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:12pmNot surprised. But very disgusted! Twitter You are Hacks helping to advance a socialistic agenda. you are an enemy to the united states! …..Congrats!
Report Post »mossbrain
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:11pmHa, looks like Empower Texans was depowered. Don’t be complaining to any government agency about this. Nanny government is not the solution. Solve the problem yourselves.
Report Post »paulusmaximus
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:16pmSay what?
Report Post »Truthbeliever2
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:47pmClean the moss out of your brain, so the hamster can run faster up there.
Report Post »gbo
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:26pmYou seem to be confusing masturbation with self-actualization.
Report Post »IAMMADDOG
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:09pmLooks like twitter may need to go in the shi**er.
Report Post »Truthbeliever2
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:51pmlmao!
Report Post »Attention2Detail
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:07pmI can’t be legit, after all Weiner‘s account didn’t get suspended when he sent porn, and Twitter has been used to start revolutions. What could Empower Texans have done that was worse than those?
Report Post »TX_45_ACP
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:26pmWell said.
Report Post »BlueStrat
Posted on July 25, 2011 at 5:36amWhat could be worse to Progressives?
That’s easy. Conservatives organizing.
That‘s Progressives’ worst nightmare, organized opposition that can communicate quickly & easily.
What’s next? Will the WH and the Democrats pressure ISPs and phone companies to start dropping Conservative-leaning groups and individuals without notice or reasons given? This is the 21st century equivalent of requiring the Star of David to be sewn onto clothing or the painting of shop windows with “Juden”.
What’s next from das Fuehrer Obama, puppet master Goebels-Soros, and their Progressive-SS lackeys?
Report Post »unsalvageable.org
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:06pmIt’s no mystery, if it were a Liberal organization they would be going strong. Twitter just made it clear where they stand.
Report Post »http://www.unsalvageable.org
hauschild
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:05pmWhy do people feel compelled to take part in social networking???
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:11pmThat’s a very good question. What is the big deal? It has no lure for me especially when you see some geek who can’y put his damned Iphone down for more than 30 seconds at a time.
Report Post »Psytoxic
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 3:12pmYou mean like communicating in a forum?
Report Post »Truthbeliever2
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 4:02pm@ Hauschild
“Why do people feel compelled to take part in social networking???”
What do you think we are doing here on the Blaze buddy?
So let me answer your question by posing another.
Why are you here?
Report Post »Mike N
Posted on July 21, 2011 at 5:05pmTwitter is a toy, not a tool . . . however, the decision to remove Empower Texans was clearly made by a tool.
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