Search results on Twitter for “racist.”
Screenshot by CNET
President Donald Trump’s official Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, is being served up as a result for searches on the social media site for “racist.”
On Friday, some Twitter users pointed out that the president’s Twitter account was listed under the People tab for searches for “racist.” Multiple CNET staff saw the same result, when signed out of an account and using a private web browser mode.
Twitter didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
What some people saw Friday when searching Twitter for “racist.”
CNET
Trump has been locked in a battle with Twitter and other social media sites. Last week, the president signed an executive order that aims to curtail legal protections that shield Facebook, Twitter and other online companies from liability for content posted by their users. On Tuesday, the Center for Democracy and Technology sued Trump, alleging that the order violates the First Amendment and is a retaliatory move against Twitter.
Trump’s executive order came after Twitter labeled two of Trump’s tweets about mail-in ballots, saying they contain “potentially misleading information about voting processes.” Twitter also hid a tweet from the president about protests in Minnesota, putting it behind a label that says it violates the company’s rules about “glorifying violence.”
Twitter’s action appears to have been a tipping point in a relationship between conservatives and social media companies that’s long been fraught. Republicans say their speech is being censored by Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, though the companies have repeatedly denied that they engage in such censorship.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
More to come.
