After Barack Obama, China, the World Health Organization, American President Donald Trump added social networks, and more particularly Twitter, to his medley of sworn enemies. The White House tenant is said to be preparing to sign a presidential decree on Thursday May 28 to limit the legal protection enjoyed by Internet platforms in the United States, the Washington Post said.
BREAKING
Just got a draft copy of Trump's Executive Order on Social Media anonymously sent to my inbox.
THREE TWEET SUMMARY:
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This text would aim to allow the prosecution of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks in cases of moderation of content deemed to be detrimental to freedom of expression, specifies the Wall Street Journal. It could also allow the authorities to punish these Internet giants if they deem them "partisan" in their moderation, add the American media. In other words, Donald Trump is trying to repaint these social networks as "liberals" who seek to harm him.
A boon for the pro-Trump camp
The ire of Donald Trump comes from an unprecedented decision by Twitter who, Tuesday, May 26, dared to add a warning at the bottom of two of his tweets, inviting Internet users to check the facts put forward by the American president. The latter had claimed that the postal vote "was manipulated" by the Democrats who would use it to fake the results of the presidential election of November 2020. Not so quickly responds Twitter, which suggested to Internet users to read two articles - on CNN and Washington Post sites - contradicting presidential tweets.
Donald Trump did not appreciate being called to order. He promised, still on Twitter, to bring social networks to step… even if it means shutting them down permanently. Finally, he seems to have opted for a less radical approach, contenting himself with legislative tightening.
Meanwhile, his supporters, like Fox News editorialists, went so far as to accuse one of the employees of the social network by name of having "censored" the president because of his sympathies for the Democratic Party. The employee in question, in charge of the technical integrity of the platform, "does not intervene in moderation", felt obliged to specify Twitter.
For the Trump camp, this new battle is a boon, notes the Wall Street Journal. It diverts media attention from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already killed more than 100,000 people in the United States, while drawing on the same electoral cord that made the success of the 2016 presidential campaign and which consists of portraying Donald Trump as the victim of a plot by the "liberal establishment". It is no coincidence that the American president hastened, after his anti-Twitter tirades, to put all the Internet giants in the same bag.
Trump taken aback by Twitter
But this anti-Twitter offensive is not just a matter of political calculation. Donald Trump was justifiably taken aback by the sudden intransigence of his favorite social network. After all, he was allowed to share the wackiest conspiracy theories there for years, or to retweet insulting messages against 2016 rival Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Suddenly, and only a few months before the presidential election, he could no longer use his favorite toy as he saw fit? In reality, Donald Trump is the victim of a general tightening of moderation on Twitter thanks to the disinformation that circulates on the Net about the new coronavirus. In March, the social network was, for the first time, allowed to censor messages from leaders of a country, in this case the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, and his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro. The two had promoted treatments for Covid-19, the efficacy of which was far from proven. Then, on May 11, Twitter announced new measures to combat disinformation that would be applied to "everyone without exception". So these were not empty threats.
Finally, another provocative tweet from Donald Trump was the last straw. Last week, the president allowed himself to take over an old conspiracy theory suggesting that MSNBC reporter Joe Scarborough was involved in a former murder case. The victim's husband then broke an open letter to Twitter officials asking them to prevent anyone, including the White House tenant, from "tarnishing the memory of [his] wife for purely political purposes." ".
One-time warning?
The missive had received a large echo in most media, which shot red bullets on Twitter for not censoring the presidential tweet while the platform said it wanted to be ever more intransigent. Jack Dorsey, head of social media, replied to the grieving husband that he "understood his pain" and was working on additional measures to avoid this kind of overflow.
It is not yet known whether Twitter's decision to crack down on the President's messages is a sign of an era change that is likely to have a significant impact on how Donald Trump can use his favorite tool to communicate with his base. electoral. Or if it is only a punctual measure to satisfy the detractors of the president whose anger was more and more directed against the social network.
But if the American president does take advantage of this to toughen the rules of the game for social networks, this could, paradoxically, serve the cause of some of Donald Trump's most virulent opponents. Most online anti-hate organizations have long campaigned unsuccessfully for law reform that exempts Internet giants from any liability for what is posted by users of their service. Social networks would therefore have no serious incentive to clean up their platform. By changing this, the American president could push these companies to be much more severe with the promoters of racism and hate online ... who are also often supporters of Donald Trump.
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