Despite evidence to the contrary, Twitter denies having political agenda in platform conduct

"Twitter does not use political ideology to make any decisions, whether related to ranking content on our service or how we enforce our rules," explained Dorsey on Wednesday, addressing the committee after questions were raised about political bias.

The remarks come after high level representatives from Google, Facebook and Twitter were requested to attend Senate hearings focused on countering "foreign influence" on social media. Questions were also raised on matters of political bias, days after US President Donald Trump accused big tech companies of censorship.

"The purpose of Twitter is to serve the public conversation, and we do not make value judgments on personal beliefs... We believe strongly in being impartial, and we strive to enforce our rules impartially," said Dorsey, adding that Twitter seeks to stifle abusive activity and "hostile foreign influence," without elaborating further on the definition of the terms.

Dorsey's remarks come amid an ongoing heated debate about the commitment of big tech and social media firms to political neutrality. Many have also questioned Twitter's vague criteria for content prioritization and user availability on the platform.

Partisan Girl, a political commentator who is known for her coverage of the Syrian war, had also previously underlined political bias in Twitter's conduct, pointing out how some users enjoy a free pass while displaying racism towards specific groups such as Arabs and Palestinians.

Other observers have remarked how alternative and anti-war voices are easily banned and suspended from the public discussion platform.

Findings presented by Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe have added to the public debate, claiming that Twitter is using a "shadow banning" algorithm targeting specific political messages, denying specific messages and users reaching wider audiences without them knowing it.

"They’re censoring free speech and they are slanting what free speech can or can not be heard, then there’s a problem" Project Veritas Executive Director Russell Verney told RT.

The recent closure of many accounts claimed to be "originated from Iran" marks just one of the most recent cases where Twitter has actively engaged in what many observers fear may count as open censorship and political bias.

In 2009, Twitter complied with a US State Department request to delay a temporary service shutdown "to remain open to help anti-government protesters" in Iran after the country's presidential election that year.

Twitter later defended the move in a blog post, interpreting it as a sign of "the role Twitter is currently playing as an important communication tool in Iran.”

Source:Presstv