Twitter explains why not all Trump's misleading tweets are flagged | #TheCube

Last month President Trump signed an executive order on social media, in an apparent move of retaliation for Twitter’s labels.
Last month President Trump signed an executive order on social media, in an apparent move of retaliation for Twitter’s labels. Copyright Ross D. Franklin/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Copyright Ross D. Franklin/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
By The Cube
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On Tuesday, Twitter issued a warning label on the US President's tweet for violating the company's policy against abusive behaviour.

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Twitter has labelled another tweet by the US President Donald Trump - this time for violating the company's policy against abusive behaviour.

Trump threatened on Tuesday to use "considerable force" if protesters tried to establish an "autonomous zone" in Washington DC.

Twitter confirmed it placed a public interest notice on the tweet because it specifically contained "the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group".

Users will not be able to "like", reply to the message or retweet without adding a comment.

It is the fourth occasion that the social media giant has taken action against Trump's official account since May.

Last month, Trump tweeted that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts", which Twitter labelled as a glorification of violence.

The US president was also flagged for uploading a "manipulated" video of two toddlers on the platform last week.

The action by Twitter has prompted Trump to sign an executive order targeting social media companies.

Trump posted the same threat to use "considerable force" on Facebook, but no action has been taken on the post.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has face strong criticism for its inaction on moderating content.

But Facebook has removed a series of campaign ads by President Trump, which they said included a symbol of hateful ideology.

Why are some tweets labelled and others not?

Last year Twitter announced specific rules for world leaders, where tweets which violate policies would not automatically be removed.

The social network has confirmed that Trump's latest tweet will remain visible on the platform due to its "its relevance to ongoing public conversation".

In May, the US President was flagged by Twitter for the first time for sharing an "unsubstantiated claim" about mail-in ballots.

Trump had suggested that "mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed".

Twitter said the tweets "could confuse voters" about participating in an election process.

But in another tweet on June 22, which has not been flagged, President Trump further suggested that the 2020 US Presidential election could be rigged because "millions of mail-in ballots will be printed by foreign countries".

Euronews reached to Twitter for an explanation on why this tweet was not flagged as an "unsubstantiated claim" in the same way.

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Twitter directed Euronews to their policy on election integrity, arguing that the June 22 tweet was a "broad" statement.

"Not all false or untrue information about politics or civic processes constitutes manipulation or interference," says Twitter.

Broad, non-specific statements about the integrity of elections do not generally violate their policy. This includes unsubstantiated claims that an election is “rigged”.

The nuance in policy shows how blurred the lines are for social media companies on content moderation, as they face intense scrutiny ahead of the US election in November.

Twitter previously told Euronews that President Trump did not violate their policy by retweeting a conspiracy theory related to the US anti-racism protests.

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Click on the video player at the top of this article for more on this from Seana Davis in The Cube, Euronews' social media newsdesk.

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