Opinion: Twitter-Trump spat signals new chapter for social media

Fact-checked labels are applied to tweets by Trump on a laptop computer in an arranged photograph taken in Arlington, Virginia, US. When the dust settles, Trump’s threats will likely be seen as political theater without any lasting ramifications for Twitter’s business. — Bloomberg

It was a momentous week for social media. After years of trying to have it both ways, Twitter – one of the industry’s major platforms – moved to hold US President Donald Trump accountable for the content in his posts under the same rules it applies to the general public. This decision to regulate some of Trump’s most controversial posts has now sparked a blacklash from the president, and spawned a new uncertain chapter for the industry.

It all started on Tuesday, when Twitter Inc added a fact-check warning label to two of president’s posts about mail-in voting. In response, Trump threatened in a set of tweets Wednesday to "strongly regulate or close” down social-media platforms. He followed up by signing an executive order late Thursday that seeks to limit some of the broad liability protection social media companies have under federal law. Undaunted, Twitter escalated the situation early Friday by putting up a notice that obscured one of the president’s posts about protests in Minneapolis, which included the phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter said it violated the platform’s rules on "glorifying violence.” The back-and-forth will likely continue, but either way, this is a turning point.