Twitter responds to Trump executive order on social media calling it a 'reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law'

• Twitter responded to President Donald Trump signing an executive order that targeted social-media companies.
• Twitter was singled out in the order after fact-checking Trump's tweets for the first time.
• The company called the order "a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law."

Twitter responded to President Donald Trump's executive order on social media, calling it "a reactionary and politicized approach to a landmark law."

—Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) May 29, 2020

On Thursday afternoon, Trump signed an executive order threatening penalties against social-media companies over allegations of bias against conservatives.

"We're here today to defend free speech from one of the greatest dangers," he told reporters before signing the document.

The order came after Twitter for the first time flagged two of Trump's tweets, which pushed false claims about voting by mail.

The order singled out Twitter, claiming the platform "now selectively decides to place a warning label on certain tweets in a manner that clearly reflects political bias." It continued: "As has been reported, Twitter seems never to have placed such a label on another politician's tweet."

Under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, social-media companies are not liable for the content or comments users post on their platforms. Trump is asking that companies that "do anything to discriminate against users, restrict their access to a platform without giving them a fair hearing, or take other action that isn't in line with the terms of service" should lose their Section 230 protection.

"When large, powerful social media companies censor opinions with which they disagree, they exercise a dangerous power," the order said. "They cease functioning as passive bulletin boards, and ought to be viewed and treated as content creators."

In its response, Twitter said that Section 230 protected speech online and that "attempts to unilaterally erode it threaten the future of online speech and Internet freedoms."

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