The Twitter Files.

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For Thee, But...

Twitter condemned by UN and EU over reporters’ ban


Neutral, the watchword of the BBC.

'The United Nations has joined the European Union in condemning Twitter's decision to suspend some
journalists who cover the social media firm. Reporters for the New York Times, CNN and the Washington
Post were among those locked out of their accounts.

The UN tweeted that media freedom is "not a toy" while the EU has threatened Twitter with sanctions.
A Twitter spokesman told a US tech news website the bans were related to the live sharing of location data.

Melissa Fleming, the UN's under secretary general for global communications, said she was "deeply disturbed"
by reports that journalists were being "arbitrarily" suspended from Twitter. "Media freedom is not a toy," she said.
"A free press is the cornerstone of democratic societies and a key tool in the fight against harmful disinformation."

Earlier on Friday, EU commissioner Vera Jourova threatened Twitter with sanctions under Europe's new Digital
Services Act which she said requires "the respect of media freedom and fundament rights".
"Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon," she added.

Mr Musk has not commented directly on the suspensions, but said in a tweet that "criticising me all day long is
totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not". He also tweeted that accounts
which he claimed engaged in doxxing - a term to describe to the release of private information online about
individuals - receive a temporary seven-day suspension.

"Same doxxing rules apply to 'journalists' as to everyone else," he added.
A spokesman for the New York Times called the suspensions "questionable and unfortunate". The suspensions
come after Mr Musk vowed to sue the owner of a profile that tracks his private jet.
He said a "crazy stalker" had used live location sharing to find and accost a vehicle carrying his children in Los
Angeles.

But following the suspensions, the German Foreign Office warned Twitter that "press freedom cannot be switched
on and off on a whim"...'

'...Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told The Verge website that bans are related to a new rule introduced
on Wednesday that prohibits "live location information, including information shared on Twitter directly or links to
3rd-party URL(s) of travel routes".

"Without commenting on any specific accounts, I can confirm that we will suspend any accounts that violate our
privacy policies and put other users at risk," Mrs Irwin told the outlet.
"We don't make exceptions to this policy for journalists or any other accounts."...'

BBC: