Trump claims Twitter shadow bans conservatives. What exactly is shadow banning?

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2018, file photo, the logo for Twitter is displayed above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. President Donald Trump and other conservatives have been repeating the sinister-sounding term “shadow banning” recently. The phrase, which refers to a “hidden” ban on undesirable users, often comes up in accusations that Twitter and other technology companies are biased against conservatives. But the term doesn’t mean what Trump thinks it does. Twitter, meanwhile, says it does not shadow ban, especially not on the basis of political ideology. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

NEW YORK: The sinister-sounding term “shadow banning” has been in play recently, mostly thanks to conservatives – including US President Donald Trump – accusing Twitter and other technology companies of political bias. 

“Twitter `SHADOW BANNING’ prominent Republicans. Not good. We will look into this discriminatory and illegal practice at once! Many complaints,” the president tweeted on July 26. (His tweet was not accurate.)