Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Last Updated: February 20, 2023, 10:17 IST
Edward Snowden speaks via video link as he takes part in a discussion about his book Permanent Record with German journalist Holger Stark in Berlin, Germany (Image: Reuters)
Edward Snowden said the algorithm should be dialled back if Twitter blocks photos of ‘baby butts, happy bath photos’ and also called Instagram ‘spineless’
Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor who worked with the Central Investigation Agency (CIA), questioned Twitter CEO Elon Musk after his wife’s Twitter account was locked.
Snowden’s wife Lindsay Mill shared a photo of their child earlier on Twitter. The image showed Snowden’s child being held by Mills. The child was naked in the photo and violated Twitter’s policies against nudity and the promotion of adult pornography.
Does this look like pornography to you, @ElonMusk? If you have a machine handing out bans for pictures that could be on a Hallmark Card, it’s time to dial back the algorithm. Just my opinion. https://t.co/3Ixmu6s7bK
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 18, 2023
Snowden shared the picture and tweeted. “Twitter just locked my wife Lindsay Mill’s account for an ancient baby photo that even *spineless Instagram* had no problem with. Do parents need to worry? Are baby butts, happy bath photos, etc. banworthy now?” Snowden asked.
In his second tweet, he questioned Musk and sought an explanation. “Does this look like pornography to you, Elon Musk? If you have a machine handing out bans for pictures that could be on a Hallmark Card, it’s time to dial back the algorithm. Just my opinion.” Snowden tweeted.
The image and the tweets led to mixed responses. Some users said there were no problems with the photo but some said that the picture could have been misused since it was posted on a public account.
Several other Twitter users said the picture was not banworthy. One Twitter user sought to explain the issue and pointed out that there are those who share child abuse materials which includes photos of infants and the photo may have been “caught in the broader net meant to remove that material” and said if ban is appealed then it should be restored.
Another Twitter subscriber also opined that the image should have been shared within a close circle of family and friends but said that there was nothing inappropriate about the picture and the post should not have led to blocking of the account.
Twitter’s sensitive media policy states: “You may not post media that is graphic or share violent or adult nudity and sexual behaviour within the live video or in profile header, List banner images, or Community cover photos.”
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