‘Leave our employees out of this’: Jack Dorsey responds to Donald Trump, says US Prez fact-check does not make Twitter ‘arbiter of truth’

Social media companies like Facebook and Twitter have often found themselves at the centre of attention when it comes to issues like fact-checking, fake news and running political ads with unsubstantiated claims. While both Twitter and Facebook have their own policies on how to deal with the same, political leaders have often had run-ins with the social networking sites on whether they are being unbiased.

US President Donald Trump is the latest politician to be embroiled in a verbal spat with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. It all started when Trump, on Wednesday, sent out a tweet on how social media platforms silence conservative voices and that his administration will continue to regulate them or ‘close them down’.

“Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!,” added Trump.


Things took a turn for the worse when soon after the tweet, Twitter added a fact-check or a caveat to Trump’s tweet about mail-in ballots. Twitter added a warning under his tweets which read, ‘Get facts about mail-in ballots’.

Trump then sent out a tweet which announced that a big action against Twitter is likely to follow.

The streets were abuzz with rumours that Trump might sign an executive order that will allow US agencies to check and investigate social media companies. That was when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey took to Twitter to respond to Trump’s tweet.

Not only did Dorsey ask Trump to ‘leave his employees out of this’, he also doubled down on Twitter’s fact-check policy.

Dorsey began the tweet by saying that if there’s someone accountable for the company's actions, it’s him. “We’ll continue to point out incorrect or disputed information about elections globally. And we will admit to and own any mistakes we make,” the tweet read.

In a series of tweets, Dorsey doubled down on Twitter’s fact-check policy and clarified that Twitter is not the ‘arbiter of truth’.

“More transparency from us is critical so folks can clearly see the why behind our actions,” the tweet read.

Trump is yet to respond to Dorsey’s tweets.