So does the President have the right to block people from his twitter.

[Goonie]

Blocked by Trump on Twitter – now crusaders take their case to court


Interesting case in the states. Can a public official block people from viewing his twitter depite the fact that he has indisputably used it to make official presidential statements?

 

[Hammster]

I would think so. Just about every tweet gets reported on, so it’s not like there’s some sort of secretive info that only followers can get.

 

[Yonny Costopoulis]

I would think so. Just about every tweet gets reported on, so it’s not like there’s some sort of secretive info that only followers can get.

I have never used twitter, so if Trump blocks someone does that prevent them from seeing Trump tweets?

If so, then he cannot block someone. "Just about" is not all. If the president is using it as official channel how can some Americans be blocked from hearing it?

Imagine if this was happening in a third world country. Everyone would say how crazy this action was. Now what was only normal in third world countries is becoming normal in the USA.

 

[Goonie]

I have never used twitter, so if Trump blocks someone does that prevent them from seeing Trump tweets?

If so, then he cannot block someone. "Just about" is not all. If the president is using it as official channel how can some Americans be blocked from hearing it?

Imagine if this was happening in a third world country. Everyone would say how crazy this action was. Now what was only normal in third world countries is becoming normal in the USA.

Yes, if someone is blocked they cannot see or reply to the Presidents tweets. They would have to rely on getting the presidential statement second or third hand.

 

[USincognito]

Let me be the first to note if President Obama did this, the screams of censorship and "Snowflake" could be heard from orbit.

 

[NightHawkeye]

Yes, if someone is blocked they cannot see or reply to the Presidents tweets. They would have to rely on getting the presidential statement second or third hand.

Bummer ...

Have you heard that Facebook, Twitter and Google are censoring content?

 

[Goonie]

Bummer ...

Have you heard that Facebook, Twitter and Google are censoring content?

Private companies. The USPresident is not.

 

[Nithavela]

Yes, if someone is blocked they cannot see or reply to the Presidents tweets. They would have to rely on getting the presidential statement second or third hand.

They could also log off and read the presidents twitter feed offline.

Personally I'd say that he shouldn't, but not because of censorship, but because the outcry of censorship would hurt him more than a few mean comments.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I would think so. Just about every tweet gets reported on, so it’s not like there’s some sort of secretive info that only followers can get.

The question is not so much about whether the blocked people can see his tweets, but whether he (as an agent of the government?) is censoring their speech by blocking them from commenting.

Note that the First Amendment protects not just speech, but specifically the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Trump is probably safe, but his deliberate blurring of personal and official communications may leave him open. (IANAL)

 

[NightHawkeye]

Private companies. The USPresident is not.

Meh ...

The Oval Office is not an open door. It's not. Never has been. Never intended to be.

 

[Nithavela]

Meh ...

The Oval Office is not an open door. It's not. Never has been. Never intended to be.

I wouldn't call Trump's twitter feed akin to his oval office, though.

More like him standing on the roof of the white house and yelling into a megaphone.

 

[NightHawkeye]

I wouldn't call Trump's twitter feed akin to his oval office, though.

More like him standing on the roof of the white house and yelling into a megaphone.

Which rooftop he is not required to share with the general populace.

 

[Nithavela]

Which rooftop he is not required to share with the general populace.

Sure, but treating the things he shouts into the megaphone as having any kind of secrecy is farcial.

In the same vein, he isn't obligated to share his twitter password or the content of his email inbox with the general public, but when he chooses to say something on twitter, or in general conversation, that has nothing in common with "something said in the oval office".

As such, this whole oval office line of discussion is nothing but a red herring.

 

[Hammster]

I have never used twitter, so if Trump blocks someone does that prevent them from seeing Trump tweets?

If so, then he cannot block someone. "Just about" is not all. If the president is using it as official channel how can some Americans be blocked from hearing it?

Imagine if this was happening in a third world country. Everyone would say how crazy this action was. Now what was only normal in third world countries is becoming normal in the USA.

If the argument is only about tweets that concern official presidential statements, then they are getting reported.

 

[Hammster]

Let me be the first to note if President Obama did this, the screams of censorship and "Snowflake" could be heard from orbit.

That didn’t take long.

But seriously, if folks complained about Obama, then they’d be wron for the same reasons.

 

[Hammster]

The question is not so much about whether the blocked people can see his tweets, but whether he (as an agent of the government?) is censoring their speech by blocking them from commenting.

Note that the First Amendment protects not just speech, but specifically the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Trump is probably safe, but his deliberate blurring of personal and official communications may leave him open. (IANAL)

The same channels are there to petition the government.

 

[Hammster]

I wouldn't call Trump's twitter feed akin to his oval office, though.

More like him standing on the roof of the white house and yelling into a megaphone.

Which everyone would hear about regardless of whether they were at the White House at the time.

 

[Yonny Costopoulis]

Yes, if someone is blocked they cannot see or reply to the Presidents tweets. They would have to rely on getting the presidential statement second or third hand.

Thank you!

 

[Yonny Costopoulis]

Bummer ...

Have you heard that Facebook, Twitter and Google are censoring content?

I realize that Trump acts like he is running private company, but he is not. This is government position.

I remember hearing the moving words of a great American. Here are some of them:

"...that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

So now "government of the people, by the people" means "government of some people, by some people" and "You hurt the president's feelings. You are no longer allowed to hear from him".

 

[NightHawkeye]

I realize that Trump acts like he is running private company, but he is not. This is government position.

I remember hearing the moving words of a great American. Here are some of them:

"...that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

So now "government of the people, by the people" means "government of some people, by some people" and "You hurt the president's feelings. You are no longer allowed to hear from him".

Presidents, and nearly all elected servants, have always been selective in regard to who they allow in.

Why should Twitter be any different?