Blocked tweets will show which country banned it (see image above), while the offending tweet will also be mentioned on the Chilling Effects website, along with providing the reasons why this tweet was banned.   

One interesting outcome of this approach is that it could lead users to being able to monitor censorship on a country specific basis. Talking to Techworld, Craig Newman, an attorney at the New York law firm Richards Kibbe & Orbe, believes that Twitter’s new policy could create a window into censorship in other countries.

Response

Unfortunately from a public relations perspective, Chinese state-run newspaper the Global Times also welcomed Twitter’s move, stating in a recent editorial: “To some extent, it is a necessary step in the evolution of Twitter.” They also claimed that Twitter has now made the choice between being an “idealistic political tool” and “following pragmatic commercial rules as a company”. China currently blocks Twitter.

To the point

Knowing its importance in recent events, such as the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Twitter should have known that it is dealing with a very hot potato, since any policy regarding censorship rightly raises suspicion.

But Twitter’s new ability could actually be a good move. The ability to track banned tweets on Chilling Effects means that there is a record kept of censorship, while tweets will still be seen outside the country it has been banned in. And maybe a little bit of Twitter is better than no Twitter at all, particularly as a small wave of communication can sometimes lead to a larger tsunami.

But it also raises immediate concerns – what if the country that banned the tweet also wants policies in place regarding the banning of tweets internationally? And what if the country does not agree with Twitter’s postings to Chilling Effects?

We can only hope that Twitter moves towards the moral high-ground, rather than tumbles down the slippery slope of censorship.