GOD BLESS AMERICA

Twitter’s public policy department tweeted in opposition to reported efforts to shut down internet access ahead of Uganda’s election this week, where President Yoweri Museveni is asking voters for a sixth term. He has been in office for 35 years.

Last week, Twitter banned President Donald Trump from its platform permanently. It also continues to suspend and expel tens of thousands of Trump supporters. Twitter’s main competitor, Parler, was also kicked off Amazon’s servers.

This week, however, Twitter stood up for free speech and the open Internet, arguing that “Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections.”

Twitter also specifically opposed the blocking of “social media and messaging apps.”

Ahead of the Ugandan election, we’re hearing reports that Internet service providers are being ordered to block social media and messaging apps.

We strongly condemn internet shutdowns – they are hugely harmful, violate basic human rights and the principles of the #OpenInternet.

— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) January 12, 2021

Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections.#UgandaDecides2021 #KeepItOn https://t.co/Q2SJfsFUiD

— Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) January 12, 2021

Before the November 2020 election, Twitter censored a New York Post story that exposed emails from the laptop of Hunter Biden, son of President-elect Joe Biden. The emails suggested that then-Vice President Biden met with his son’s business associate from the corrupt Ukrainian energy company, Bur….

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325195021339987969