Although ex-Twitter CEO Dick Costolo claimed he stood for “democratic access” to information on the internet, it was reported that in 2015 he allowed Twitter employees to surreptitiously filter ugly tweets against President Barack Obama. (BuzzFeed, August 11, 2016, by Charlie Warzel)
Twitter has a reputation for standing up to the government and allowing unfettered expression so some have expressed dismay at the “double standard” alleged by BussFeed sources. (Tech Times, August 11, 2016, by Rachel Ranosa)
Costolo released an angry retort on Twitter saying the allegations “show a lack of understanding of the very basics of how trust and safety works at Twitter. Sensationalist nonsense.” Costolo did not clarify whether he was denying claims of censorship or objecting in general to the criticism in the allegations. (Business Insider, August 11, 2016, by Rob Price)