Politwoops, the website collection that was responsible for archiving deleted tweets made by politicians from all over the world, has recently received a killing blow from Twitter. The websites were overseen by the Open State Foundation, whose members reported that Twitter has suspended their API access on Friday, August 21. As you probably suspect, this was not a decision that was taken lightly, especially considering Politwoops’ popularity and significance. Twitter’s representatives stated that the decision received a green light after “thoughtful internal deliberation and close consideration of a number of factors.”
It’s also worth noting that Twitter does not distinguish between regular users and politicians, and since regular users are allowed to delete their tweets whenever they want, the social media website feels that politicians should be able to afford the same luxury.
“Imagine how nerve-racking — terrifying, even — tweeting would be if it was immutable and irrevocable? No one user is more deserving of that ability than another. Indeed, deleting a tweet is an expression of the user’s voice.”
Many would argue that Politwoops should have seen this move coming, especially since its US branch was shut down in May. The recent API access suspension affects countries from all over the world, such as India, Egypt, Ireland, Canada, South Korea, Tunisia, Norway, Turkey and the UK.
Jules Mattsson, who handled the British branch of Politwoops, has stated the following:
“It’s a terrible shame that Twitter has made this decision. Politwoops has been an important new tool in political accountability in the UK and abroad. Politicians are all too happy to use social media to campaign, but if we lose the ability for this to be properly preserved, it becomes a one-way tool.”
Diplotwoops, a website that was dedicated to saving deleted tweets issued by diplomats, was also shut down.
Do you think that what politicians say on social media websites should be archived, or do you believe that they should be able to delete their statements whenever they want just as regular users do?
Thank you TheVerge for providing us with this information.
Image courtesy of SunlightFoundation.
