Snapchat and Twitch have joined other Big Tech companies in censoring President Trump. It seems the Capitol protests were used as the reason for the photo-sharing app and streaming platform to censor Trump, already accusing the president of inciting “racial violence and injustice.”
“We can confirm that earlier today we locked President Trump’s Snapchat account,” Rachel Racusen, a spokeswoman for the company, said.
Until Snapchat lifts the restriction, Trump will not be able to share anything with his nearly two million subscribers on the platform. It is unclear what prompted Snap to suspend Trump, considering the restriction was placed before Trump’s video that addressed protesters and told them to go home peacefully – which was the first post that was censored by both Facebook and Twitter.
In the video, the president maintained the election was rigged but he advised the rioters to “go home in peace” since there has to be “law and order.”
The suspension was not the first time Snapchat censored the president. It had already stopped suggesting Trump’s account to users because it said it does not want to “amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice.”
“In light of yesterday’s shocking attack on the Capitol, we have disabled President Trump’s Twitch channel,” a Twitch spokesperson said in a statement. “Given the current extraordinary circumstances and the President’s incendiary rhetoric, we believe this is a necessary step to protect our community and prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.” The company said it will reassess Trump’s account after he leaves office.
The President’s account remains live, so archived videos and his profile are still available. But while the account is disabled, he won’t be able to stream.
The usual censorship culprits (Facebook and Instagram) continued their ways in the wake of the protests. Facebook, and its sister Instagram, have indefinitely banned the president.
The company also added a new label on posts questioning the presidential election.
The new label states: “Joe Biden has been elected President with results that were certified by all 50 states. The US has laws, procedures, and established institutions to ensure the peaceful transfer of power after an election.”
