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News > World

Did Twitter Censor WikiLeaks' DNC Email Dump?

  • The trend #DNCLeaks disappeared from Twitter for about 20 minutes Friday.

    The trend #DNCLeaks disappeared from Twitter for about 20 minutes Friday. | Photo: Reuters

Published 23 July 2016
Opinion

The social media company has invested tens of thousands in the Democratic Party establishment.

Following WikiLeaks’ dump of 20,000 emails from Democratic National Committee staff accounts Friday, rumors circulated that Twitter had censored the quickly rising trend #DNCLeaks.

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The hashtag was trending worldwide, with over 251,000 tweets circulating revelations, such as emails by DNC leaders mocking Bernie Sanders.

Friday night, the trend disappeared for about 20 minutes, reported the Washington Examiner, causing uproar by WikiLeaks supporters. The trend then reappeared as #DNCLeak, but with significantly less tweets.

WikiLeaks addressed the controversy, tweeting Saturday, “Many people say @Twitter is censoring links to #DNCLeak emails. Please search https://wikileaks.org/dnc-emails/ select a result and try posting.”

One Twitter user said the tweets might have been censored because some of the emails contained malware, and another mentioned that WikiLeaks did not leave out personal information like passport numbers and addresses. Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey later called allegations of censorship “false.”

He and the other co-founders have been notably silent about politics during the election cycle, but their funds suggest significant investment in the DNC.

Former CEO Dick Costolo donated US$10,000 to the DNC, as did at least one other director, and Hillary Clinton was the company’s biggest recipient of donations—over US$30,000. The vast majority of Twitter lobbyists have also come from the government, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

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