Twitter removes tweet featuring disputed image, posted by Trump, due to copyright infringement by New York Times.
In a recent development, Twitter Inc has taken down a tweet posted by U.S. President Donald Trump due to a copyright complaint from the New York Times. The image, tweeted on June 30, was a meme featuring a quote and a picture of Trump.
The meme, which showed a quote stating, "In reality they're not after me they're after you I'm just in the way," used a picture taken by a New York Times photographer in September 2015 for a feature article on Trump. The copyright holder of the photo used in the tweet has not been identified in the available search results.
This is not the first time Twitter has removed content posted by Trump due to copyright complaints or policy violations. Earlier this year, a campaign tribute video to George Floyd was disabled by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on their platforms last month. Twitter has also labeled one of Trump's tweets about postal voting as inaccurate and hid a tweet about looting.
The reporting was done by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru. The removal of the tweet now displays a message stating that the image was removed in response to a report from the copyright holder. The complaint was posted on the Lumen Database, a platform that collects and analyzes legal complaints and requests for removal of online materials.
Twitter began challenging Trump's tweets in May, and the president has repeatedly clashed with the social media giant since then. The company has been under pressure to monitor and fact-check the president's posts, which have been criticized for spreading misinformation and inciting violence.
Twitter Inc and the New York Times did not respond when reached by Reuters for further comment. The president has threatened to change laws on social media to limit their ability to regulate his posts.
The latest instance of content posted by Trump being flagged or removed from Twitter comes amidst growing concerns about the role of social media in shaping public discourse and political campaigns. As the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election approaches, the issue of social media regulation and fact-checking is likely to remain a hot topic of debate.
